wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “script”
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 “script”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 15 of the top 20.
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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.
Ranked above its merit
Tracking Script Manager shows at wp.org #4 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 14 places. Its 2K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.1★ average from 7 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
PDF Invoices & Packing Slips for WooCommerce places #12 on merit, 5.0★ from 1865 reviews, but shows at wp.org #21. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Header and Footer Scripts 200K+ · 4.6★ (58)
wp.org #1 2 
Woody Code Snippets – Insert PHP, CSS, JS, and Header/Footer Scripts 50K+ · 4.5★ (221)
wp.org #2 ↑3 3 
Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ · 4.7★ (1667)
wp.org #6 3 too low 4 
Transliterator – Multilingual and Multi-script Text Conversion 3K+ · 4.8★ (96)
wp.org #5 ↓3 1 too low 5 
WPCode – Insert Headers and Footers + Custom Code Snippets – WordPress Code Manager 3M+ · 4.9★ (1916)
wp.org #10 ↓2 5 too low 6 
Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7519)
wp.org #12 ↓1 6 too low 7 
Insert Headers and Footers Code – HT Script 7K+ · 5.0★ (8) thin reviews
wp.org #3 ↑1 4 too high 8 
Flying Scripts: Delay JavaScript to Improve Site Speed & Performance 30K+ · 5.0★ (38)
wp.org #9 ↑1 1 too low 9 
W3 Total Cache 900K+ · 4.4★ (5420)
wp.org #16 7 too low 10 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322)
wp.org #17 ↑1 7 too low 11 
SureCookie – GDPR Cookie Consent Banner, Cookie Scanner & Script Blocking 70K+ · 4.9★ (21) thin reviews
wp.org #7 ↑2 4 too high 12 PDF Invoices & Packing Slips for WooCommerce 300K+ · 5.0★ (1865)
wp.org #21 ↓4 9 too low 13 
Autoptimize 800K+ · 4.7★ (1428)
wp.org #18 ↓5 5 too low 14 
WP Fastest Cache – WordPress Cache Plugin 1M+ · 4.9★ (4228)
wp.org #22 8 too low 15 
Redirection for Contact Form 7 200K+ · 4.7★ (275)
wp.org #23 8 too low 16 
PixelYourSite – Your smart PIXEL (TAG) & API Manager 400K+ · 4.3★ (281)
wp.org #19 ↓3 3 too low 17 
Assets manager, dequeue scripts, dequeue styles for WordPress 2K+ · 4.3★ (53)
wp.org #13 ↑1 4 too high 18 Tracking Script Manager 2K+ · 4.1★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #4 ↓1 14 too high 19 
Head & Footer Code 100K+ · 5.0★ (51)
wp.org #20 1 too low 20 
Loco Translate 1M+ · 4.8★ (453)
wp.org #24 4 too low 21 S Scripts To Footer 7K+ · 4.7★ (37)
wp.org #15 6 too high 22 
Header Footer Script Adder 1K+ · 4.1★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #8 ↓1 14 too high 23 
Cookie-Script.com 10K+ · 3.1★ (14) thin reviews
wp.org #14 ↑5 9 too high 24 
CM Header and Footer – Add custom scripts and styles to your header and footer with ease 1K+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #11 ↑1 13 too high 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.