wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “sharings”
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 “sharings”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 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
Ocean Product Sharing shows at wp.org #4 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 19 places. Its 20K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 0.0★ average from 0 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI places #7 on merit, 4.8★ from 27820 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.
Scriptless Social Sharing 10K+ · 5.0★ (70)
wp.org #1 2 
WP Statistics – Simple, privacy-friendly Google Analytics alternative 500K+ · 4.1★ (758)
wp.org #3 1 too low 3 
Social Media Share Buttons & Social Sharing Icons 100K+ · 4.8★ (5333)
wp.org #6 3 too low 4 
Photo Gallery, Sliders, Proofing and Themes – NextGEN Gallery 300K+ · 4.3★ (4342)
wp.org #5 1 too low 5 
Simple Social Media Share Buttons – Social Sharing for Everyone 20K+ · 4.8★ (194)
wp.org #7 2 too low 6 
Ocean Social Sharing 60K+ · 4.5★ (11) thin reviews
wp.org #2 4 too high 7 Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI 10M+ · 4.8★ (27820)
wp.org #12 5 too low 8 
Hubbub Lite – Fast, free social sharing and follow buttons 30K+ · 4.7★ (173)
wp.org #9 1 too low 9 
Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408)
wp.org #8 1 too high 10 
Maintenance 1M+ · 4.4★ (869)
wp.org #10 11 
Robo Gallery – Photo & Image Slider 40K+ · 4.3★ (406)
wp.org #13 2 too low 12 
AddToAny Share Buttons 300K+ · 4.7★ (1114)
wp.org #17 5 too low 13 
Smash Balloon Social Photo Feed – Easy Social Feeds Plugin 1M+ · 4.9★ (4358)
wp.org #18 5 too low 14 
Social Sharing (by Danny) 2K+ · 5.0★ (68)
wp.org #11 3 too high 15 
My Calendar – Accessible Event Manager 20K+ · 4.7★ (159)
wp.org #15 16 
Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ · 4.7★ (1667)
wp.org #20 4 too low 17 
MailPoet – Newsletters, Email Marketing, and Automation 500K+ · 4.4★ (1435)
wp.org #21 4 too low 18 
Social Login, Social Sharing by miniOrange 10K+ · 4.6★ (356)
wp.org #22 4 too low 19 
Social Sharing Block 7K+ · 5.0★ (18) thin reviews
wp.org #14 5 too high 20 
Super Web Share – Native Social Sharing Button 2K+ · 4.9★ (29)
wp.org #19 1 too high 21 
User Private Files – Secure File Sharing and Client Portal Plugin 1K+ · 4.4★ (57)
wp.org #23 2 too low 22 
Social Rocket – Social Sharing Plugin 1K+ · 5.0★ (12) thin reviews
wp.org #24 2 too low 23 Ocean Product Sharing 20K+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviewslow rating, top placement
wp.org #4 19 too high 24 
Sharing Image 600+ · 4.7★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #16 8 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.