wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “startups”
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 “startups”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 of the top 20. 6 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
Team Showcase – Responsive Team Members Grid, Slider & Carousel Plugin shows at wp.org #9 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 2K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.4★ average from 24 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Everest Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form, Quiz, Survey & Custom Form Builder with AI places #12 on merit, 4.9★ from 375 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.
Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7519)
wp.org #2 1 too low 2 
FileBird – WordPress Media Library Folders & File Manager 200K+ · 4.7★ (1125)
wp.org #4 2 too low 3 
WooPayments: Integrated WooCommerce Payments 800K+ · 3.4★ (177) throws errorsnot PHP-current low rating, top placement
wp.org #1 2 too high 4 
Starter Templates: AI-Powered Website Templates for Elementor & Gutenberg 1M+ · 4.9★ (4755)
wp.org #7 3 too low 5 
Presto Player 100K+ · 4.8★ (346) heavy footprint
wp.org #6 1 too low 6 
Independent Analytics – WordPress Analytics Plugin 100K+ · 4.8★ (167)
wp.org #10 ↑1 4 too low 7 
Royal Addons for Elementor – Addons and Templates Kit for Elementor 600K+ · 4.8★ (612)
wp.org #11 ↓1 4 too low 8 
Mollie Payments for WooCommerce 100K+ · 3.6★ (69) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #3 5 too high 9 
OneSignal – Web Push Notifications 60K+ · 4.3★ (360) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #8 1 too high 10 
YayCurrency – WooCommerce Multi-Currency Switcher 7K+ · 4.8★ (114)
wp.org #12 2 too low 11 
MalCare WordPress Security Plugin – Malware Scanner, Cleaner, Security Firewall 100K+ · 4.4★ (559)
wp.org #17 6 too low 12 Everest Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form, Quiz, Survey & Custom Form Builder with AI 90K+ · 4.9★ (375) heavy footprint
wp.org #19 7 too low 13 
Responsive Team Members Showcase, Team Grid, Team Slider, and Staff List – Smart Team (formerly WP Team) 5K+ · 4.7★ (92)
wp.org #15 2 too low 14 Z zipaddr-jp 50K+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #5 9 too high 15 
Cool Timeline (Horizontal & Vertical Timeline) 20K+ · 4.7★ (333)
wp.org #24 ↓1 9 too low 16 
Dokan: AI Powered WooCommerce Multivendor Marketplace Solution – Build Your Own Amazon, eBay, Etsy 30K+ · 4.6★ (769) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #23 7 too low 17 
Awesome Support – WordPress HelpDesk & Support Plugin 6K+ · 3.5★ (194) not PHP-current
wp.org #16 1 too high 18 
Superb Addons: Blocks, Patterns, Pre-built Pages, Sliders, Popups, Free Forms, Animations & More 80K+ · 4.9★ (23) thin reviews
wp.org #18 19 
ContentBot AI Writer (AI Content) 400+ · 4.7★ (19) thin reviews
wp.org #21 2 too low 20 
Nooz 500+ · 5.0★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #13 ↑1 7 too high 21 Team Showcase – Responsive Team Members Grid, Slider & Carousel Plugin 2K+ · 3.4★ (24) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #9 12 too high 22 
toyyibPay for WooCommerce 5K+ · 4.3★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #14 ↓1 8 too high 23 
Showcase IDX Real Estate Search & Lead Capture 2K+ · 3.8★ (35) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #20 3 too high 24 
FormFacade – Embed Google Forms in your website 1K+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews
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.