wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “socials”
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 “socials”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 6 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
Metricool – Social media and site statistics shows at wp.org #9 but places #17 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 90K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.4★ average from 22 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Social Media Share Buttons & Social Sharing Icons places #6 on merit, 4.8★ from 5333 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.
Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408)
wp.org #1 ↑1 2 
Smash Balloon Social Photo Feed – Easy Social Feeds Plugin 1M+ · 4.9★ (4358)
wp.org #2 ↓1 3 
Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI 10M+ · 4.8★ (27821)
wp.org #4 ↑1 1 too low 4 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #3 ↑1 1 too high 5 
ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2051)
wp.org #6 ↑2 1 too low 6 Social Media Share Buttons & Social Sharing Icons 100K+ · 4.8★ (5333)
wp.org #12 ↓6 6 too low 7 
Social Feed Gallery 80K+ · 4.5★ (303)
wp.org #7 ↑4 8 
WooCommerce 7M+ · 4.5★ (4833) throws errorsnot PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #5 ↓2 3 too high 9 
Easy Social Feed – All In One Social Feed Plugin for WordPress 30K+ · 4.6★ (502)
wp.org #10 ↓3 1 too low 10 
Nextend Social Login and Register 200K+ · 4.9★ (446)
wp.org #11 ↓1 1 too low 11 
Wp Social Login and Register Social Counter 70K+ · 4.6★ (67)
wp.org #8 ↑1 3 too high 12 
Social Share Icons & Social Share Buttons 10K+ · 4.9★ (1911) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #13 ↓1 1 too low 13 
Social Chat – Click To Chat App Button 200K+ · 4.9★ (696) not PHP-current
wp.org #14 ↑3 1 too low 14 
Social Preview and Open Graph Tags 50K+ · 4.6★ (122)
wp.org #15 ↓2 1 too low 15 
BuddyPress 90K+ · 4.1★ (375)
wp.org #16 ↓1 1 too low 16 
Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ · 4.7★ (1668)
wp.org #20 4 too low 17 Metricool – Social media and site statistics 90K+ · 4.4★ (22) thin reviews
wp.org #9 ↑5 8 too high 18 
Spectra Legacy – Gutenberg Blocks 1M+ · 4.7★ (1872) heavy footprint
wp.org #19 ↑1 1 too low 19 
Scriptless Social Sharing 10K+ · 5.0★ (70)
wp.org #18 ↓2 1 too high 20 
Spotlight Social Photo Feed 60K+ · 4.7★ (171)
wp.org #24 ↓3 4 too low 21 
Simple Social Icons 100K+ · 4.3★ (92)
wp.org #22 ↑1 1 too low 22 
Widgets for Social Photo Feed 10K+ · 4.7★ (28)
wp.org #17 ↑2 5 too high 23 
Simple Social Media Share Buttons – Social Sharing for Everyone 20K+ · 4.8★ (194) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #21 ↑1 2 too high 24 
FluentAuth – Login Security, Two-Factor Authentication, Passkeys & Social Login 10K+ · 4.1★ (35)
wp.org #23 1 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.