wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “sql mode”
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 “sql mode”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 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
Graphina – Charts and Graphs For Elementor shows at wp.org #16 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 7 places. Its 9K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.1★ average from 16 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Wholesale Suite – B2B, Dynamic Pricing & WooCommerce Wholesale Prices places #11 on merit, 4.8★ from 546 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 Data Access – App Builder for Tables, Forms, Dashboards, Charts & Maps 10K+ · 4.9★ (88)
wp.org #1 ↑1 2 
Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (397)
wp.org #2 ↑1 3 
wpDataTables – WordPress Data Table, Dynamic Tables & Table Charts Plugin 60K+ · 4.5★ (449)
wp.org #5 2 too low 4 
FluentSnippets – High-Performance Code Snippets, Header & Footer Code, Custom CSS & PHP Code Manager 50K+ · 4.7★ (78)
wp.org #4 ↑2 5 
Super Page Cache – Cloudflare Cache, Page Speed & Core Web Vitals 70K+ · 4.8★ (517)
wp.org #7 ↑1 2 too low 6 
Vigilant – 100% Free Security Suite: Firewall, 2FA, Login, Headers, Scanner… 3K+ · 5.0★ (24) thin reviews
wp.org #3 ↓2 3 too high 7 
Hide My WP Ghost – Security & Firewall 100K+ · 4.5★ (373)
wp.org #6 ↑18 1 too high 8 
AI Engine – MCP Server & AI Chatbot for WordPress, with Claude, ChatGPT & Gemini 90K+ · 4.9★ (874)
wp.org #10 ↑4 2 too low 9 
Tutor LMS – eLearning and online course solution 100K+ · 4.4★ (590)
wp.org #8 ↓4 1 too high 10 
Ninja Tables – Easy Data Table Builder 70K+ · 4.6★ (472)
wp.org #9 ↓2 1 too high 11 Wholesale Suite – B2B, Dynamic Pricing & WooCommerce Wholesale Prices 20K+ · 4.8★ (546)
wp.org #15 ↓4 4 too low 12 
ACF: Better Search 40K+ · 4.9★ (165)
wp.org #13 ↓1 1 too low 13 
Search Regex 100K+ · 4.7★ (101)
wp.org #11 ↓2 2 too high 14 
Post Views Counter 100K+ · 4.9★ (1238)
wp.org #23 9 too low 15 
Database Manager – WP Adminer 20K+ · 5.0★ (28)
wp.org #12 ↓2 3 too high 16 
Black Studio TinyMCE Widget 200K+ · 4.8★ (191)
wp.org #19 3 too low 17 
Delete Duplicate Posts 10K+ · 4.8★ (153)
wp.org #20 3 too low 18 
Database Cleaner: Cleanup, Optimization & Repair 10K+ · 5.0★ (150)
wp.org #22 ↓5 4 too low 19 
SQLite Object Cache 10K+ · 5.0★ (51)
wp.org #17 ↑1 2 too high 20 
Debug Log Manager Tool 3K+ · 5.0★ (22) thin reviews
wp.org #14 ↓1 6 too high 21 
Advanced IP Blocker 3K+ · 4.9★ (27)
wp.org #21 22 
Create 6K+ · 4.3★ (25)
wp.org #18 4 too high 23 Graphina – Charts and Graphs For Elementor 9K+ · 4.1★ (16) thin reviews
wp.org #16 ↓1 7 too high 24 
BotBlocker Security – Complete security platform 3K+ · 5.0★ (11) thin reviews
wp.org #24 ↓8 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.