wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “site tree”
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 tree”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 of the top 20. 1 plugin is 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
Fleet Agent Site Manager – Securely Connects Your Sites to a WPMgr Dashboard shows at wp.org #7 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 16 places. Its 100+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Folders – Unlimited Folders to Organize Media Library Folder, Pages, Posts, File Manager places #6 on merit, 5.0★ from 1525 reviews, but shows at wp.org #13. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423)
wp.org #1 2 
CMS Tree Page View – Reorder Pages with a Drag-and-Drop Tree 50K+ · 4.9★ (365)
wp.org #2 3 
FileBird – WordPress Media Library Folders & File Manager 200K+ · 4.7★ (1125)
wp.org #5 ↑1 2 too low 4 
Admin Menu Tree Page View 10K+ · 4.6★ (48)
wp.org #3 1 too high 5 
Nested Pages 90K+ · 4.7★ (126)
wp.org #6 ↓1 1 too low 6 Folders – Unlimited Folders to Organize Media Library Folder, Pages, Posts, File Manager 90K+ · 5.0★ (1525)
wp.org #13 ↑1 7 too low 7 
Simple History – Track, Log, and Audit WordPress Changes 300K+ · 4.9★ (491)
wp.org #10 ↓1 3 too low 8 
Download Manager 100K+ · 4.1★ (1006)
wp.org #11 ↓1 3 too low 9 
ECS – Ele Custom Skin for Elementor 100K+ · 4.6★ (117)
wp.org #9 ↑2 10 P Page-list 30K+ · 4.7★ (89)
wp.org #12 2 too low 11 
Genealogical Tree – Family Tree & Ancestry for WordPress 600+ · 4.1★ (16) not PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #4 7 too high 12 
Category AJAX Filter – Posts, Custom Post Types & Product Filter 6K+ · 4.9★ (158)
wp.org #15 ↓2 3 too low 13 
AMP for WP – Accelerated Mobile Pages 70K+ · 4.4★ (1319) heavy footprint
wp.org #20 ↓1 7 too low 14 
Simple Download Monitor 20K+ · 4.7★ (158)
wp.org #18 ↓3 4 too low 15 
FG Joomla to WordPress 7K+ · 4.7★ (336)
wp.org #22 7 too low 16 
Wicked Folders – Folder Organizer for Pages, Posts, and Custom Post Types 20K+ · 4.9★ (56)
wp.org #21 ↓1 5 too low 17 W WP-dTree 2K+ · 4.8★ (25)
wp.org #16 ↑2 1 too high 18 
RootsPersona 400+ · 4.6★ (17) thin reviews
wp.org #17 1 too high 19 
FileBird Document Library 5K+ · 4.9★ (8) thin reviews
wp.org #14 ↑2 5 too high 20 
Menubar 1K+ · 4.7★ (15) thin reviews
wp.org #19 ↓2 1 too high 21 
SEO Optimized Images 10K+ · 4.0★ (27)
wp.org #23 ↓2 2 too low 22 
CatFolders – WordPress Media Library Folders & Categories 6K+ · 4.3★ (22) thin reviews
wp.org #24 ↓2 2 too low 23 Fleet Agent Site Manager – Securely Connects Your Sites to a WPMgr Dashboard 100+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #7 16 too high 24 
RS Remote Site Manager 90+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #8 16 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.