wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “site”
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 “site”, 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
Simple Site Map Page shows at wp.org #12 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 6K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.3★ average from 6 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Site Kit by Google – Analytics, Search Console, AdSense, Speed 5M+ · 4.2★ (1012)
wp.org #1 2 
Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423)
wp.org #2 3 
TranslatePress – Translate Multilingual sites with AI Translation 400K+ · 4.7★ (1667)
wp.org #3 4 
Site Reviews 60K+ · 4.9★ (376)
wp.org #4 5 
Migrate Guru – Site Migration & Cloning 200K+ · 4.9★ (1645)
wp.org #5 6 
SEOPress – AI SEO Plugin & On-site SEO 300K+ · 4.8★ (1267)
wp.org #6 ↑2 7 
All in One SEO – AI SEO Plugin to Boost SEO Rankings & Traffic (Schema, Local SEO, Sitemap & SEO Insights) 2M+ · 4.7★ (5231) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #9 ↓2 2 too low 8 
Restricted Site Access 10K+ · 4.8★ (62)
wp.org #8 ↑1 9 
Simply Static – The Static Site Generator 30K+ · 4.5★ (195)
wp.org #10 ↑1 1 too low 10 
Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) heavy footprint
wp.org #13 ↓2 3 too low 11 
NS Cloner – Site Cloner and Multisite Duplicator 6K+ · 4.7★ (279)
wp.org #14 ↓1 3 too low 12 
MainWP Child – Securely Connects to the MainWP Dashboard to Manage Multiple Sites 700K+ · 5.0★ (71) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #7 ↓1 5 too high 13 
Gutenverse – WordPress Blocks, Page Builder & Site Editor 20K+ · 4.9★ (190) heavy footprint
wp.org #16 ↓4 3 too low 14 
The Events Calendar 600K+ · 4.2★ (2461)
wp.org #22 ↑2 8 too low 15 
Metricool – Social media and site statistics 90K+ · 4.4★ (22) thin reviews
wp.org #11 ↑6 4 too high 16 
Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408)
wp.org #21 5 too low 17 
My Private Site – Make Your Whole Site Private, Force Login & Block Registration Spam 10K+ · 4.5★ (82) not PHP-current
wp.org #15 ↑3 2 too high 18 
Starter Templates & Sites Pack by ThemeGrill 70K+ · 4.7★ (197) not PHP-current
wp.org #23 5 too low 19 
Starter Sites & Templates by Neve 100K+ · 4.7★ (77) heavy footprint
wp.org #20 ↑3 1 too low 20 
SureFeedback Client Site 5K+ · 4.0★ (39)
wp.org #18 ↑3 2 too high 21 
Multiple Domain Mapping on Single Site 6K+ · 4.6★ (48) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #19 2 too high 22 Simple Site Map Page 6K+ · 4.3★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #12 ↑2 10 too high 23 
WP Global Site Tag 7K+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #17 ↑2 6 too high 24 
Site Assets 300+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #24 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.