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← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “stacks”

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 “stacks”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 of the top 20. 1 plugin is 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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.

Ranked above its merit

VK All in One Expansion Unit shows at wp.org #12 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 100K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.0★ average from 7 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

FooGallery Photo Gallery : Image, Video & Masonry Galleries places #11 on merit, 4.8★ from 995 reviews, but shows at wp.org #19. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Custom Post Type UI 1M+ · 4.6★ (276) wp.org #1 2 HireZoot – Job Listings, Career Page & Recruitment Tool 30K+ · 4.8★ (194) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 Burst Statistics – Simple WordPress Analytics (Google Analytics Alternative) 200K+ · 4.9★ (186) wp.org #4 ↑1 1 too low 4 Query Monitor 200K+ · 4.9★ (470) wp.org #6 ↑1 2 too low 5 Better Block Editor (BBE) 6K+ · 5.0★ (11) wp.org #2 3 too high 6 HappyAddons for Elementor – 160 Elementor Widgets, GSAP Animations & Templates 400K+ · 4.8★ (489) wp.org #7 ↓3 1 too low 7 ManageWP Worker 1M+ · 4.6★ (679) wp.org #8 1 too low 8 HandL UTM Grabber / Tracker 10K+ · 4.8★ (146) wp.org #9 1 too low 9 Fluent Forms – Customizable Contact Forms, Survey, Quiz, & Conversational Form Builder 800K+ · 4.8★ (807) wp.org #10 1 too low 10 Debug Log Manager Tool 3K+ · 5.0★ (22) wp.org #5 ↑1 5 too high 11 FooGallery Photo Gallery : Image, Video & Masonry Galleries 100K+ · 4.8★ (995) wp.org #19 ↓2 8 too low 12 OMGF | GDPR/DSGVO Compliant, Faster Google Fonts. Easy. 300K+ · 4.7★ (213) wp.org #14 ↑1 2 too low 13 Headers Security Advanced & HSTS WP 90K+ · 4.9★ (79) wp.org #16 3 too low 14 Album Gallery for Photo & Video 4K+ · 4.8★ (26) wp.org #11 3 too high 15 Version Info – Server Health Monitor, PHP & MySQL Version Display, Environment Indicators 10K+ · 5.0★ (15) wp.org #18 ↑1 3 too low 16 Login Widget With Shortcode 5K+ · 3.8★ (29) wp.org #17 ↑1 1 too low 17 Block Editor: Reverse Columns on Mobile 700+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #15 ↓1 2 too high 18 bbPress Voting 400+ · 4.7★ (10) wp.org #21 3 too low 19 Angie – Agentic AI 100K+ · 3.3★ (20) wp.org #20 1 too low 20 VK All in One Expansion Unit 100K+ · 4.0★ (7) wp.org #12 8 too high 21 W WPBase Cache 3K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #13 8 too high 22 TNC Toolbox: Web Performance 1K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #23 1 too low 23 Rollbar 300+ · 4.0★ (3) wp.org #24 1 too low 24 Responsive Table for Elementor 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #22 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.