wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “simple customizations”
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 “simple customizations”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 7 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
Simple Blog Card shows at wp.org #13 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 3K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Photo Gallery, Sliders, Proofing and Themes – NextGEN Gallery places #12 on merit, 4.3★ from 4342 reviews, but shows at wp.org #23. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Simple Membership 40K+ · 4.6★ (475)
wp.org #1 2 
Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (588)
wp.org #2 3 
Simple Share Buttons Adder 40K+ · 4.3★ (627)
wp.org #3 4 
Simple Download Monitor 20K+ · 4.7★ (158)
wp.org #4 5 
Seriously Simple Podcasting 20K+ · 4.7★ (330)
wp.org #5 6 
WP Simple Booking Calendar 10K+ · 4.8★ (227)
wp.org #6 7 
Simple Shopping Cart 10K+ · 4.6★ (215)
wp.org #8 1 too low 8 
Simple Banner – Easily add multiple Banners/Bars/Notifications/Announcements to the top or bottom of your website 50K+ · 4.8★ (45)
wp.org #7 1 too high 9 
Simple Job Board 10K+ · 4.7★ (133)
wp.org #10 1 too low 10 
Simple Comment Editing 2K+ · 4.8★ (55)
wp.org #9 1 too high 11 
Simple Ajax Chat – Add a Fast, Secure Chat Box 2K+ · 4.9★ (215)
wp.org #16 5 too low 12 Photo Gallery, Sliders, Proofing and Themes – NextGEN Gallery 300K+ · 4.3★ (4342)
wp.org #23 11 too low 13 
Hustle – Email Marketing, Lead Generation, Optins, Popups 80K+ · 4.4★ (859)
wp.org #22 9 too low 14 
Smash Balloon Social Photo Feed – Easy Social Feeds Plugin 1M+ · 4.9★ (4358)
wp.org #24 10 too low 15 
Simple SEO 10K+ · 4.7★ (33)
wp.org #12 3 too high 16 
Contact Form Clean and Simple 7K+ · 4.7★ (195)
wp.org #18 2 too low 17 
Simple Admin Language Change 10K+ · 4.7★ (22) thin reviews
wp.org #11 6 too high 18 
Simple GDPR Cookie Compliance 6K+ · 4.9★ (14) thin reviews
wp.org #15 3 too high 19 
LukasApps CAPTCHA tools for Contact Form 7 100K+ · 4.1★ (48)
wp.org #20 1 too low 20 
Really Simple Featured Video for Posts, Pages & WooCommerce Products 4K+ · 4.0★ (34)
wp.org #19 1 too high 21 
Admin Bar Editor – Toolbar Customization with User Role based access & Custom menus 3K+ · 4.4★ (24) thin reviews
wp.org #21 22 S Simple Membership Custom Messages 7K+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #14 8 too high 23 
SRS Simple Hits Counter 8K+ · 4.2★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #17 6 too high 24 Simple Blog Card 3K+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #13 11 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.