wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “spanish”
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 “spanish”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 7 of the top 20. 4 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
CookieAdmin – Cookie Consent Banner shows at wp.org #8 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 16 places. Its 400K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 4 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Anti-Malware Security and Brute-Force Firewall places #10 on merit, 4.9★ from 783 reviews, but shows at wp.org #15. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
WP Fastest Cache – WordPress Cache Plugin 1M+ · 4.9★ (4228)
wp.org #1 2 
Widgets for Google Reviews 1M+ · 4.9★ (2667)
wp.org #2 ↑1 3 
MailPoet – Newsletters, Email Marketing, and Automation 500K+ · 4.4★ (1435) heavy footprint
wp.org #3 ↓1 4 
PDF Invoices & Packing Slips for WooCommerce 300K+ · 5.0★ (1865) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #4 5 
Category Order and Taxonomy Terms Order 500K+ · 4.5★ (162)
wp.org #5 6 
Limit Login Attempts Security – Login Security, 2FA, Firewall, Brute Force Prevention 1M+ · 4.8★ (1488)
wp.org #9 ↓1 3 too low 7 
LearnPress – WordPress LMS Plugin for Create and Sell Online Courses 70K+ · 4.3★ (597) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #6 1 too high 8 
All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720)
wp.org #10 ↓1 2 too low 9 
Simple Membership 40K+ · 4.6★ (475) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #7 ↑3 2 too high 10 Anti-Malware Security and Brute-Force Firewall 100K+ · 4.9★ (783)
wp.org #15 5 too low 11 
Smart Slider 3 800K+ · 4.9★ (1125)
wp.org #14 3 too low 12 
SSL Insecure Content Fixer 100K+ · 4.8★ (221) not PHP-current
wp.org #11 1 too high 13 
Advanced Ads – Ad Manager & AdSense 90K+ · 4.9★ (1463) not PHP-current
wp.org #17 4 too low 14 
Table Field Add-on for ACF and SCF 50K+ · 4.9★ (60)
wp.org #12 2 too high 15 
WP Sitemap Page 200K+ · 4.8★ (205)
wp.org #16 1 too low 16 
Reveal IDs 40K+ · 5.0★ (61)
wp.org #13 3 too high 17 
File Manager Pro – Filester 100K+ · 4.9★ (155)
wp.org #23 6 too low 18 
Menu Cart for WooCommerce 70K+ · 4.6★ (99)
wp.org #22 ↓2 4 too low 19 
Connect Matomo – Analytics Dashboard for WordPress 60K+ · 4.5★ (95) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #19 ↓1 20 
Show modified Date in admin lists 6K+ · 4.9★ (32)
wp.org #24 ↓2 4 too low 21 
Bible Verse of the Day 3K+ · 4.9★ (11) thin reviews
wp.org #20 ↓3 1 too high 22 
Booking Package 10K+ · 4.0★ (15) thin reviews
wp.org #18 ↑3 4 too high 23 
Better Plugin Compatibility Control 4K+ · 4.3★ (19) thin reviews
wp.org #21 ↓2 2 too high 24 CookieAdmin – Cookie Consent Banner 400K+ · 5.0★ (4) host-installed base thin reviews
wp.org #8 ↓1 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.