wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “suggest”
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 “suggest”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 14 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
Site Suggest shows at wp.org #4 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 17 places. Its 50+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
WP Reset places #12 on merit, 4.8★ from 1014 reviews, but shows at wp.org #24. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI 10M+ · 4.8★ (27821)
wp.org #1 2 
Loco Translate 1M+ · 4.8★ (453)
wp.org #3 1 too low 3 
WP Mail Logging 300K+ · 4.7★ (375)
wp.org #6 ↑2 3 too low 4 W WP Search Suggest 400+ · 4.6★ (11) thin reviews
wp.org #2 2 too high 5 
Admin Columns 100K+ · 4.9★ (1652)
wp.org #11 ↓1 6 too low 6 
Points Management System For Gamification, Ranks, Badges, and Loyalty Rewards Program – myCred 10K+ · 4.6★ (472) not PHP-current
wp.org #9 ↓5 3 too low 7 
PublishPress Taxonomies – Tag, Category, and Taxonomy Manager – Autotagger Automatically Add Terms 40K+ · 4.6★ (195)
wp.org #10 ↑1 3 too low 8 
Really Simple CAPTCHA 300K+ · 4.2★ (131)
wp.org #8 ↑1 9 
Starter Templates: AI-Powered Website Templates for Elementor & Gutenberg 1M+ · 4.9★ (4755)
wp.org #19 ↑1 10 too low 10 
The SEO Framework – Fast, Automated, Effortless. 200K+ · 4.9★ (380) not PHP-current
wp.org #14 4 too low 11 
Htaccess File Editor – Safely Edit Htaccess File 40K+ · 5.0★ (102)
wp.org #17 ↑1 6 too low 12 WP Reset 300K+ · 4.8★ (1014)
wp.org #24 12 too low 13 
FiboSearch – Ajax Search for WooCommerce 100K+ · 4.9★ (1815) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #18 ↑1 5 too low 14 
AI 60K+ · 4.2★ (10) thin reviews
wp.org #5 9 too high 15 
GiveWP – Donation Plugin and Fundraising Platform 100K+ · 4.6★ (708) throws errorsnot PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #16 ↓1 1 too low 16 
Widget Context 30K+ · 4.5★ (98) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #12 4 too high 17 
Drag and Drop Multiple File Upload for Contact Form 7 60K+ · 4.8★ (94)
wp.org #21 ↑1 4 too low 18 
reCaptcha by BestWebSoft 100K+ · 3.9★ (391)
wp.org #22 ↑2 4 too low 19 
Products Suggestions for WooCommerce 600+ · 5.0★ (12) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #7 12 too high 20 
Dashboard Widgets Suite 4K+ · 4.9★ (38)
wp.org #23 3 too low 21 Site Suggest 50+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #4 ↑2 17 too high 22 
ElasticPress 8K+ · 4.2★ (30)
wp.org #20 ↑1 2 too high 23 
Meta for WooCommerce 400K+ · 2.1★ (481) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #13 10 too high 24 
YITH Frequently Bought Together for WooCommerce 7K+ · 3.1★ (12) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #15 ↑1 9 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.