wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “smart script”
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 “smart script”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 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
SureCookie – GDPR Cookie Consent Banner, Cookie Scanner & Script Blocking shows at wp.org #15 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 6 places. Its 70K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.9★ average from 21 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More places #8 on merit, 4.8★ from 14387 reviews, but shows at wp.org #12. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Smart Slider 3 800K+ · 4.9★ (1125)
wp.org #1 2 
Smart Coupons For WooCommerce Coupons 30K+ · 4.7★ (133)
wp.org #2 ↑1 3 
Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7520)
wp.org #4 1 too low 4 
Smart COD for WooCommerce 30K+ · 4.6★ (52)
wp.org #3 ↓1 1 too high 5 
LiteSpeed Cache 7M+ · 4.8★ (2778)
wp.org #7 ↑3 2 too low 6 
PixelYourSite – Your smart PIXEL (TAG) & API Manager 400K+ · 4.3★ (281)
wp.org #5 1 too high 7 
WPCode – Insert Headers and Footers + Custom Code Snippets – WordPress Code Manager 3M+ · 4.9★ (1917)
wp.org #9 ↓2 2 too low 8 WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More 5M+ · 4.8★ (14387)
wp.org #12 4 too low 9 
Smart Manager – Bulk Edit for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.4★ (288)
wp.org #10 ↓1 1 too low 10 
All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720)
wp.org #13 ↑2 3 too low 11 S Smart Custom Fields 50K+ · 4.9★ (21) thin reviews
wp.org #6 5 too high 12 
Smart Variations Images & Swatches for WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.7★ (142)
wp.org #11 1 too high 13 
YMC Filter 4K+ · 4.8★ (34)
wp.org #8 5 too high 14 
Fluent Forms – Customizable Contact Forms, Survey, Quiz, & Conversational Form Builder 800K+ · 4.8★ (807)
wp.org #18 ↓4 4 too low 15 
WP Fastest Cache – WordPress Cache Plugin 1M+ · 4.9★ (4229)
wp.org #22 ↑1 7 too low 16 
Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132)
wp.org #24 8 too low 17 
Custom Product Tabs for WooCommerce & WordPress Tabs Builder – Smart Tabs 10K+ · 4.9★ (134)
wp.org #20 ↓1 3 too low 18 
Echo Knowledge Base – Documentation, FAQs, Chat & Smart Search 10K+ · 4.9★ (124)
wp.org #23 ↓2 5 too low 19 
Smart Search & Product Filter for WooCommerce – Searchanise 900+ · 4.4★ (43)
wp.org #14 ↓1 5 too high 20 
Smart Grid-Layout Design for Contact Form 7 10K+ · 4.5★ (72)
wp.org #19 ↑3 1 too high 21 SureCookie – GDPR Cookie Consent Banner, Cookie Scanner & Script Blocking 70K+ · 4.9★ (21) thin reviews
wp.org #15 ↑1 6 too high 22 
Smart Send 300+ · 5.0★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #16 ↑1 6 too high 23 
Viva.com | Smart Checkout for WooCommerce 7K+ · 2.3★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #17 ↑1 6 too high 24 
Smart Admin Assistant 200+ · 3.3★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #21 ↓1 3 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.