wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “siteground”
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 “siteground”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 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
SiteGround Email Marketing shows at wp.org #5 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 19 places. Its 2K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 2.0★ average from 4 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
AI Engine – MCP Server & AI Chatbot for WordPress, with Claude, ChatGPT & Gemini places #8 on merit, 4.9★ from 874 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.
SiteGround Migrator 80K+ · 4.3★ (403)
wp.org #1 ↑1 2 
Speed Optimizer – The All-In-One Performance-Boosting Plugin 1M+ · 4.2★ (641)
wp.org #2 ↓1 3 
Migrate Guru – Site Migration & Cloning 200K+ · 4.9★ (1645)
wp.org #6 3 too low 4 
Under Construction 600K+ · 4.8★ (1285)
wp.org #7 3 too low 5 
Security Optimizer – The All-In-One Protection Plugin 1M+ · 4.5★ (157)
wp.org #4 ↑1 1 too high 6 
WP Fastest Cache – WordPress Cache Plugin 1M+ · 4.9★ (4228)
wp.org #8 ↑3 2 too low 7 
Site Reviews 60K+ · 4.9★ (376)
wp.org #10 ↓1 3 too low 8 AI Engine – MCP Server & AI Chatbot for WordPress, with Claude, ChatGPT & Gemini 90K+ · 4.9★ (874)
wp.org #13 ↑2 5 too low 9 
WP Meteor Website Speed Optimization Addon 20K+ · 4.7★ (77)
wp.org #9 ↓1 10 
Hide My WP Ghost – Security & Firewall 100K+ · 4.5★ (373)
wp.org #12 2 too low 11 
OMGF | GDPR/DSGVO Compliant, Faster Google Fonts. Easy. 300K+ · 4.7★ (213)
wp.org #11 ↓1 12 
Minimal Coming Soon – Coming Soon Page 100K+ · 4.3★ (282)
wp.org #14 ↓2 2 too low 13 C Clear Cache for Me 40K+ · 4.8★ (29)
wp.org #17 ↓1 4 too low 14 
Payment Gateway for Redsys & WooCommerce Lite 20K+ · 4.9★ (87) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #18 ↓1 4 too low 15 
Prevent Browser Caching 10K+ · 4.9★ (29)
wp.org #22 ↑1 7 too low 16 
Object Cache 4 everyone 5K+ · 4.2★ (30) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #15 ↓2 1 too high 17 
AI Agent by SiteGround 1M+ · 1.7★ (98) suspect reviewsclosure riskhost-installed base low rating, top placement
wp.org #3 14 too high 18 
XML Feed for Skroutz & BestPrice for WooCommerce 700+ · 4.8★ (16) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #23 ↓1 5 too low 19 
Reduce Unused CSS Solution with Critical CSS For WP 1K+ · 3.8★ (13) thin reviews
wp.org #21 ↓3 2 too low 20 
Advanced GeoIP Redirect 900+ · 3.6★ (11) thin reviews
wp.org #19 1 too high 21 
The Cache Purger 1K+ · 4.5★ (6) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #16 ↓2 5 too high 22 
Eli's PHP Compatibility Scanner 1K+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #20 2 too high 23 
Clear Cache Everywhere 1K+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #24 ↓3 1 too low 24 SiteGround Email Marketing 2K+ · 2.0★ (4) thin reviewslow rating, top placement
wp.org #5 ↓1 19 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.