wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “sub”
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 “sub”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 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
CookieAdmin – Cookie Consent Banner shows at wp.org #8 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 15 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
Responsive Menu – Mobile Menu & Hamburger Menu Builder places #12 on merit, 4.5★ from 574 reviews, but shows at wp.org #22. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Translate WordPress with GTranslate 900K+ · 4.9★ (4962)
wp.org #1 2 
Max Mega Menu 300K+ · 4.8★ (882)
wp.org #3 ↓1 1 too low 3 
Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) 2M+ · 4.5★ (1440) heavy footprint
wp.org #2 ↑1 1 too high 4 
Polylang 900K+ · 4.7★ (3003)
wp.org #4 ↑1 5 
Migrate Guru – Site Migration & Cloning 200K+ · 4.9★ (1645)
wp.org #5 ↓1 6 
Image Regenerate & Select Crop 7K+ · 4.7★ (58)
wp.org #6 7 
Translate WordPress – Google Language Translator 100K+ · 4.7★ (620)
wp.org #12 5 too low 8 
All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720)
wp.org #11 ↓3 3 too low 9 
Widget Context 30K+ · 4.5★ (98) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #7 ↑13 2 too high 10 
Prime Mover – Backup and Migration 10K+ · 5.0★ (141)
wp.org #18 8 too low 11 
Easy Table of Contents 600K+ · 4.4★ (221)
wp.org #14 ↑1 3 too low 12 Responsive Menu – Mobile Menu & Hamburger Menu Builder 70K+ · 4.5★ (574)
wp.org #22 ↓12 10 too low 13 
Speed Optimizer – The All-In-One Performance-Boosting Plugin 1M+ · 4.2★ (641)
wp.org #15 ↓2 2 too low 14 W WP Photo Album Plus 10K+ · 4.7★ (199) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #13 ↑1 1 too high 15 
Options for Twenty Twenty-One 6K+ · 4.9★ (64)
wp.org #20 ↑1 5 too low 16 
Table of Contents Plus – Automatic Table of Contents for Posts & Pages 200K+ · 4.5★ (187)
wp.org #24 8 too low 17 
Modern Image Formats 100K+ · 3.6★ (26)
wp.org #10 ↓1 7 too high 18 
Link Library 10K+ · 4.7★ (97) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #16 2 too high 19 
WP Original Media Path 5K+ · 4.9★ (38)
wp.org #19 20 
Subaccounts for WooCommerce 300+ · 5.0★ (27)
wp.org #21 1 too low 21 
Intranet & Private Site – All-In-One Intranet 3K+ · 5.0★ (11) thin reviews
wp.org #17 4 too high 22 
WP Subtitle 10K+ · 4.1★ (21) thin reviews
wp.org #23 ↑1 1 too low 23 CookieAdmin – Cookie Consent Banner 400K+ · 5.0★ (4) host-installed base thin reviews
wp.org #8 ↑3 15 too high 24 
List Sub Pages 400+ · 4.0★ (4) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #9 ↓2 15 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.