wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “shared”
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 “shared”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 7 of the top 20. 3 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
Attribute Stock for WooCommerce – Shared Stock & Variable Quantities (Lite Version) shows at wp.org #5 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 2K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.6★ average from 18 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
All-in-One WP Migration and Backup places #12 on merit, 4.5★ from 7676 reviews, but shows at wp.org #16. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Shared Files – File Upload & Download Manager 3K+ · 4.4★ (34)
wp.org #1 2 
WP STAGING – Backups & Restore, Migration & Clone Plugin – Cloud Backups, Scheduled Backups 100K+ · 4.8★ (2470)
wp.org #4 2 too low 3 
Code Snippets 1M+ · 4.7★ (510) not PHP-current
wp.org #3 ↓1 4 
Shared Albums for Google Photos 500+ · 4.9★ (10) thin reviews
wp.org #2 ↑1 2 too high 5 
Duplicator – Backups & Migration Plugin – Cloud Backups, Scheduled Backups, & More 1M+ · 4.9★ (4940) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #6 ↓1 1 too low 6 
Limit Login Attempts Security – Login Security, 2FA, Firewall, Brute Force Prevention 1M+ · 4.8★ (1488)
wp.org #9 3 too low 7 
W3 Total Cache 900K+ · 4.4★ (5420)
wp.org #10 3 too low 8 
Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408)
wp.org #7 ↑6 1 too high 9 
Under Construction 600K+ · 4.8★ (1285)
wp.org #11 ↓3 2 too low 10 
Maintenance 1M+ · 4.4★ (869)
wp.org #8 ↓1 2 too high 11 
Ultimate Member – User Profile, Registration, Login, Member Directory, Content Restriction & Membership Plugin 200K+ · 4.4★ (1445)
wp.org #12 ↓1 1 too low 12 All-in-One WP Migration and Backup 5M+ · 4.5★ (7676)
wp.org #16 4 too low 13 
Anti-Spam, Spam FireWall by CleanTalk 200K+ · 4.8★ (3221)
wp.org #21 8 too low 14 
WPVibe – MCP Server for WordPress, works with Claude, ChatGPT & other AI MCP agents 100K+ · 5.0★ (195)
wp.org #15 1 too low 15 
Social Preview and Open Graph Tags 50K+ · 4.6★ (122)
wp.org #13 ↓1 2 too high 16 
Smash Balloon Social Photo Feed – Easy Social Feeds Plugin 1M+ · 4.9★ (4358)
wp.org #22 ↓5 6 too low 17 
OG — Better Share on Social Media 20K+ · 4.8★ (216)
wp.org #19 2 too low 18 Attribute Stock for WooCommerce – Shared Stock & Variable Quantities (Lite Version) 2K+ · 4.6★ (18) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #5 ↑1 13 too high 19 
Docket Cache – Object Cache Accelerator 20K+ · 4.9★ (50)
wp.org #23 4 too low 20 
Active Directory/LDAP Integration for Cloud & Shared Hosting Platforms 40+ · 4.9★ (39)
wp.org #20 21 
YITH WooCommerce Wishlist 400K+ · 3.9★ (262) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #18 3 too high 22 
Stock Sync for WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.4★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #24 2 too low 23 
Variation Shared Inventory for WooCommerce 400+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews
wp.org #14 9 too high 24 
WPC Shared Stock – Attribute Stock & Group Stock for WooCommerce 200+ · 0.0★ (0) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #17 ↑6 7 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.