wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “sub pages”
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 pages”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 7 of the top 20. 4 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
List Sub Pages shows at wp.org #6 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 18 places. Its 400+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.0★ average from 4 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Migrate Guru – Site Migration & Cloning places #12 on merit, 4.9★ from 1645 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.
Nested Pages 90K+ · 4.7★ (126)
wp.org #1 2 
Translate WordPress with GTranslate 900K+ · 4.9★ (4962)
wp.org #2 3 
Folders – Unlimited Folders to Organize Media Library Folder, Pages, Posts, File Manager 90K+ · 5.0★ (1526)
wp.org #3 4 
Kadence Blocks — Page Builder Toolkit for Gutenberg Editor 600K+ · 4.8★ (333) heavy footprint
wp.org #4 ↑2 5 P Page-list 30K+ · 4.7★ (89)
wp.org #5 ↓1 6 
WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance 1M+ · 4.8★ (2617)
wp.org #9 3 too low 7 
Max Mega Menu 300K+ · 4.8★ (882)
wp.org #10 3 too low 8 
Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) 2M+ · 4.5★ (1440) heavy footprint
wp.org #8 ↑4 9 
CC Child Pages 9K+ · 4.9★ (49)
wp.org #7 2 too high 10 
Polylang 900K+ · 4.7★ (3004)
wp.org #15 5 too low 11 
Table of Contents Plus – Automatic Table of Contents for Posts & Pages 200K+ · 4.5★ (187)
wp.org #11 12 Migrate Guru – Site Migration & Cloning 200K+ · 4.9★ (1645)
wp.org #19 ↑1 7 too low 13 
PPWP – Password Protect Pages 30K+ · 4.7★ (271)
wp.org #14 ↓1 1 too low 14 
Asset CleanUp: Page Speed Booster 100K+ · 4.9★ (1564) not PHP-current
wp.org #18 ↑1 4 too low 15 
Speed Optimizer – The All-In-One Performance-Boosting Plugin 1M+ · 4.2★ (641)
wp.org #13 ↑1 2 too high 16 
Translate WordPress – Google Language Translator 100K+ · 4.7★ (620)
wp.org #23 ↑1 7 too low 17 
Widget Context 30K+ · 4.5★ (98) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #12 ↓4 5 too high 18 
Privacy Policy Generator, Terms & Conditions, GDPR, CCPA, Cookie Policy & Disclaimer Templates – WPLP Legal Pages 10K+ · 4.7★ (93) not PHP-current
wp.org #16 ↑1 2 too high 19 
Greenshift – animation and page builder blocks 70K+ · 4.8★ (107) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #17 ↑1 2 too high 20 
Wicked Folders – Folder Organizer for Pages, Posts, and Custom Post Types 20K+ · 4.9★ (56)
wp.org #24 4 too low 21 
Image Regenerate & Select Crop 7K+ · 4.7★ (58)
wp.org #22 ↑1 1 too low 22 
Page Builder: Pagelayer – Drag and Drop website builder 400K+ · 3.9★ (104)
wp.org #20 ↑1 2 too high 23 
3D Viewer – Turn Product Pages into Interactive 3D Experiences 9K+ · 4.7★ (24) thin reviews
wp.org #21 ↑1 2 too high 24 List Sub Pages 400+ · 4.0★ (4) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #6 ↓1 18 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.