wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “software”
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 “software”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 of the top 20. 2 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
Multibanco, MB WAY, Credit card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Payshop, and PIX (ifthenpay) for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #14 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 8K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 21 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Anti-Spam, Spam FireWall by CleanTalk places #6 on merit, 4.8★ from 3221 reviews, but shows at wp.org #10. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Contact Form 7 10M+ · 4.0★ (2186)
wp.org #1 2 
UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8708)
wp.org #3 1 too low 3 
bbPress 100K+ · 3.9★ (343)
wp.org #2 1 too high 4 
LiteSpeed Cache 7M+ · 4.8★ (2778)
wp.org #5 ↑1 1 too low 5 
Easy Digital Downloads – eCommerce Payments and Subscriptions made easy 40K+ · 4.7★ (591)
wp.org #7 ↑2 2 too low 6 Anti-Spam, Spam FireWall by CleanTalk 200K+ · 4.8★ (3221)
wp.org #10 ↑1 4 too low 7 
BuddyPress 90K+ · 4.1★ (375)
wp.org #6 ↑1 1 too high 8 
Software License Manager 900+ · 4.6★ (35)
wp.org #4 4 too high 9 
WP STAGING – Backups & Restore, Migration & Clone Plugin – Cloud Backups, Scheduled Backups 100K+ · 4.8★ (2470)
wp.org #13 ↑1 4 too low 10 
WP Travel Engine – Tour Booking Plugin – Tour Operator Software 20K+ · 4.9★ (594) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #8 2 too high 11 
LiveChat – Live Chat Plugin for WP Websites 10K+ · 4.6★ (98)
wp.org #11 ↑1 12 
Fluent Forms – Customizable Contact Forms, Survey, Quiz, & Conversational Form Builder 800K+ · 4.8★ (807)
wp.org #15 ↑4 3 too low 13 
Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423)
wp.org #17 4 too low 14 
ManageWP Worker 1M+ · 4.6★ (679)
wp.org #16 ↑2 2 too low 15 
All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720)
wp.org #20 5 too low 16 
Yatra – Travel Booking & Tour Operator Software 600+ · 4.7★ (23) thin reviews
wp.org #9 ↑1 7 too high 17 
My Calendar – Accessible Event Manager 20K+ · 4.7★ (159)
wp.org #21 ↓4 4 too low 18 
License Manager for WooCommerce 6K+ · 4.6★ (147)
wp.org #18 ↑3 19 
GiveWP – Donation Plugin and Fundraising Platform 100K+ · 4.6★ (708) throws errorsnot PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #19 ↑1 20 
LiveAgent – Omnichannel Help Desk & Live Chat Software 400+ · 4.2★ (32)
wp.org #12 ↑1 8 too high 21 
MultiVendorX – WooCommerce Multivendor Marketplace AI Powered Solutions 2K+ · 4.8★ (432) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #23 2 too low 22 
Cart Abandonment Recovery for WooCommerce – Recover Lost Sales with Automated Emails 300K+ · 4.8★ (626) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #24 2 too low 23 Multibanco, MB WAY, Credit card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Payshop, and PIX (ifthenpay) for WooCommerce 8K+ · 5.0★ (21) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #14 ↑8 9 too high 24 
Project Management, Bug and Issue Tracking Plugin – Software Issue Manager 20+ · 4.2★ (12) thin reviews
wp.org #22 ↑2 2 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.