wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “star post”
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 “star post”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 7 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
Five-Star Ratings Shortcode shows at wp.org #11 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 500+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.2★ average from 5 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder places #9 on merit, 4.8★ from 2143 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.
Rate My Post – Star Rating Plugin by FeedbackWP 20K+ · 4.7★ (159) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #1 ↑1 2 
kk Star Ratings – Rate Post & Collect User Feedbacks 70K+ · 3.9★ (171)
wp.org #2 ↓1 3 
Folders – Unlimited Folders to Organize Media Library Folder, Pages, Posts, File Manager 90K+ · 5.0★ (1525)
wp.org #5 ↓1 2 too low 4 
Widgets for Google Reviews 1M+ · 4.9★ (2667)
wp.org #4 5 
Ultimate Post Kit – Elementor Post Grid, Post Carousel, Post Slider & Blog Layout Widgets 30K+ · 4.8★ (58)
wp.org #3 2 too high 6 
WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More 5M+ · 4.8★ (14387)
wp.org #10 ↓3 4 too low 7 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #8 ↓3 1 too low 8 
Five Star Restaurant Reservations – WordPress Booking Plugin 10K+ · 4.7★ (211) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #7 ↑11 1 too high 9 Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2143)
wp.org #15 ↓2 6 too low 10 
Five Star Business Profile and Schema 7K+ · 4.8★ (52) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #6 ↑3 4 too high 11 
All in One SEO – AI SEO Plugin to Boost SEO Rankings & Traffic (Schema, Local SEO, Sitemap & SEO Insights) 2M+ · 4.7★ (5231) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #13 ↓3 2 too low 12 
Revive Social – Social Media Auto Post and Scheduling Automation Plugin 20K+ · 4.0★ (556)
wp.org #14 ↓3 2 too low 13 
Archive Content with Archived Post Status 5K+ · 4.9★ (36)
wp.org #9 ↑12 4 too high 14 
Stars Testimonials — Responsive Reviews & Star Ratings 1K+ · 4.8★ (65)
wp.org #12 ↓4 2 too high 15 
Ninja Forms – Contact Form Builder with Calculators, Quizzes, Signatures & AI Form Builder 500K+ · 4.4★ (1397)
wp.org #19 ↓2 4 too low 16 
Spectra Legacy – Gutenberg Blocks 1M+ · 4.7★ (1872) heavy footprint
wp.org #18 ↓3 2 too low 17 
Ultra Addons for Contact Form 7 60K+ · 4.8★ (107)
wp.org #23 6 too low 18 
Peter's Post Notes – Admin Notes for Posts and Pages 3K+ · 4.9★ (26)
wp.org #16 ↓4 2 too high 19 
Stars Rating 1K+ · 4.7★ (23) thin reviews
wp.org #21 ↓5 2 too low 20 
Five Star Restaurant Menu and Food Ordering 5K+ · 4.6★ (107) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #24 ↓2 4 too low 21 
WP Post Author – Author Box, Multiple Authors, Guest Authors & Custom Avatars 10K+ · 4.2★ (22) thin reviews
wp.org #20 ↓1 1 too high 22 
Five Star Restaurant Reviews 400+ · 4.9★ (14) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #22 ↓2 23 Five-Star Ratings Shortcode 500+ · 4.2★ (5) throws errorsnot PHP-currentheavy footprint thin reviews
wp.org #11 ↓5 12 too high 24 
Missed Schedule Post Publisher 6K+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #17 ↓3 7 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.