wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “saver”

wp.org orders by popularity, so a plugin a host bundled onto millions of sites, or a big-brand one that's slow and mediocre, can sit at the top. Our ranking is built to answer a different question: which of these is actually worth installing. How this works →

For “saver”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 5 of the top 20. 2 plugins are pushed down for signals wp.org ignores: errors, a host-installed base, or removal risk.

wp.org search ranks on

Install count (uncapped), the raw star average, freshness, and support. Popularity dominates, so the biggest install base usually wins regardless of how it got there.

We add

A cap on the install boost, volume-weighted ratings, and signals wp.org can't see: whether it throws errors on current PHP, whether the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.

Ranked above its merit

Assistant – Every Day Productivity Apps shows at wp.org #11 but places #17 on merit, a gap of 6 places. Its 4K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.9★ average from 15 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

FileBird – WordPress Media Library Folders & File Manager places #8 on merit, 4.7★ from 1125 reviews, but shows at wp.org #12. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

Enable Media Replace 600K+ · 4.4★ (302) wp.org #2 1 too low 2

Chatra Live Chat + ChatBot + Cart Saver 2K+ · 5.0★ (12) thin reviews wp.org #1 1 too high 3

Imsanity 200K+ · 4.9★ (291) wp.org #3 4

The SEO Framework – Fast, Automated, Effortless. 200K+ · 4.9★ (380) not PHP-current wp.org #4 5

Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423) wp.org #6 ↓1 1 too low 6

Duplicate Post 300K+ · 4.9★ (1623) wp.org #8 ↓1 2 too low 7

Flying Pages: Preload Pages for Faster Navigation & Improved User Experience 20K+ · 4.9★ (79) wp.org #5 ↑1 2 too high 8

FileBird – WordPress Media Library Folders & File Manager 200K+ · 4.7★ (1125) wp.org #12 4 too low 9

Instant Images – One-click Image Uploads from Unsplash, Openverse, Pixabay, Pexels, and Giphy 100K+ · 4.8★ (59) wp.org #7 ↑1 2 too high 10

Content Aware Sidebars – Fastest Widget Area Plugin 30K+ · 4.9★ (724) not PHP-current wp.org #13 3 too low 11

Shipping Live Rates and Access Points for UPS for WooCommerce 7K+ · 4.7★ (77) wp.org #9 2 too high 12

Post and Page Builder by BoldGrid – Visual Drag and Drop Editor 50K+ · 4.7★ (140) wp.org #14 2 too low 13

Auto Image Attributes From Filename With Bulk Updater (Add Alt Text, Image Title For Image SEO) 100K+ · 4.8★ (93) wp.org #15 ↑1 2 too low 14

Download Plugins and Themes in ZIP from Dashboard 30K+ · 4.9★ (27) wp.org #10 4 too high 15

Featured Images in RSS for Mailchimp & More 20K+ · 4.3★ (113) wp.org #17 2 too low 16

HUSKY – Products Filter for WooCommerce Professional. MCP is onboard 80K+ · 4.6★ (337) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #18 ↓3 2 too low 17

Assistant – Every Day Productivity Apps 4K+ · 4.9★ (15) heavy footprint thin reviews wp.org #11 6 too high 18

Link Whisper Free 30K+ · 4.2★ (150) wp.org #23 5 too low 19

Advanced Views – Display Framework – Gutenberg/Elementor/Shortcode 3K+ · 4.8★ (36) wp.org #19 20

Shipping Live Rates for FedEx for WooCommerce 2K+ · 4.4★ (27) wp.org #20 1 too high 22

Promolayer – Popup Builder & Abandonment Preventer 1K+ · 5.0★ (5) thin reviews wp.org #21 1 too high 23

Bandwidth Saver: Image CDN — · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews wp.org #22 1 too high 24

ELEX ShipEngine UPS & FedEx Shipping Method 70+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews wp.org #24

Merit ranking caps the install boost at 1M (wp.org leaves it uncapped), replaces the raw star average with a volume-weighted Bayesian score and a Wilson lower bound, and keeps wp.org's own freshness and compatibility decays. Method from the plugin-directory source; see Meta Trac #8298. Positions are tracked daily from the first visit to a keyword, so the small arrows show movement since tracking began.