wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “single use message”
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 “single use message”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 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
OrderConvo – Vendor & Customer Messages After Orders shows at wp.org #14 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 200+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.6★ average from 22 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) places #7 on merit, 5.0★ from 423 reviews, but shows at wp.org #11. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Use Any Font | Custom Font Uploader 200K+ · 4.7★ (1148)
wp.org #1 2 
SAML Single Sign On – SSO Login 10K+ · 4.9★ (402)
wp.org #2 3 
FluentSMTP – WP Mail SMTP Plugin with Amazon SES, SendGrid, Mailgun, Postmark, Cloudflare, toSend, Gmail and Any SMTP 700K+ · 4.8★ (410)
wp.org #3 4 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #4 5 
OAuth Single Sign On – SSO (OAuth Client) 6K+ · 4.9★ (327)
wp.org #5 6 
WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More 5M+ · 4.8★ (14387)
wp.org #8 2 too low 7 Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423)
wp.org #11 4 too low 8 
Fluent Forms – Customizable Contact Forms, Survey, Quiz, & Conversational Form Builder 800K+ · 4.8★ (807)
wp.org #10 2 too low 9 
Ninja Forms – Contact Form Builder with Calculators, Quizzes, Signatures & AI Form Builder 500K+ · 4.4★ (1397)
wp.org #12 3 too low 10 
Announcer – Sticky Message Banner & Notification Bar 10K+ · 4.8★ (40)
wp.org #7 3 too high 11 
Click to Chat – HoliThemes 600K+ · 4.8★ (131)
wp.org #9 2 too high 12 
Database Addon for Contact Form 7 – CFDB7 600K+ · 5.0★ (1875)
wp.org #16 4 too low 13 
Min Max Control – Min Max Quantity & Step Control for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.7★ (79) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #6 7 too high 14 
Floating Chat Widget: Contact Chat Icons, Telegram Chat, Line Messenger, WeChat, Email, SMS, Call Button – Chaty 300K+ · 5.0★ (1244)
wp.org #19 5 too low 15 
Quiz Maker by AYS 20K+ · 4.9★ (601)
wp.org #20 5 too low 16 
All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720)
wp.org #17 1 too low 17 
Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2143)
wp.org #21 4 too low 18 
Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408)
wp.org #13 5 too high 19 
Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132) not PHP-current
wp.org #18 1 too high 20 
Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) 2M+ · 4.5★ (1440) heavy footprint
wp.org #24 4 too low 21 
Simple CAPTCHA with Cloudflare Turnstile 200K+ · 4.7★ (262) not PHP-current
wp.org #22 1 too low 22 
Sticky Chat Widget – Floating Chat Icons, Contact Form, Call, Click to Chat, Email & Message Buttons 10K+ · 5.0★ (39)
wp.org #23 1 too low 23 OrderConvo – Vendor & Customer Messages After Orders 200+ · 4.6★ (22) thin reviews
wp.org #14 9 too high 24 
WPC Smart Messages for WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.3★ (6) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #15 9 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.