wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “super blank”
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 “super blank”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 14 of the top 20.
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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.
Ranked above its merit
Super Advent Calendar shows at wp.org #3 but places #16 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 300+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 5 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Quiz Maker by AYS places #6 on merit, 4.9★ from 601 reviews, but shows at wp.org #12. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Super Progressive Web Apps 40K+ · 4.6★ (225)
wp.org #2 1 too low 2 
Super Blank 9K+ · 4.5★ (8) thin reviews
wp.org #1 1 too high 3 
Ad Inserter – Ad Manager & AdSense Ads 300K+ · 4.9★ (2433)
wp.org #8 5 too low 4 
Smart Slider 3 800K+ · 4.9★ (1125)
wp.org #6 ↓1 2 too low 5 
Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408)
wp.org #5 ↑2 6 Quiz Maker by AYS 20K+ · 4.9★ (601)
wp.org #12 ↑7 6 too low 7 
FluentCRM – Email Newsletter, Automation, Email Marketing, Email Campaigns, Optins, Leads, and CRM Solution 80K+ · 4.8★ (250)
wp.org #10 ↑2 3 too low 8 
Super Video player – Fully Customizable Video Player with Playlist 2K+ · 4.2★ (30)
wp.org #4 4 too high 9 
Duplicate Post 300K+ · 4.9★ (1623)
wp.org #14 ↓3 5 too low 10 
Widget Options – Advanced Conditional Visibility for Gutenberg Blocks & Classic Widgets 100K+ · 4.9★ (1516)
wp.org #15 5 too low 11 
WP Sticky Sidebar – Floating Sidebar On Scroll for Any Theme 10K+ · 4.9★ (153)
wp.org #11 ↓1 12 
WPCode – Insert Headers and Footers + Custom Code Snippets – WordPress Code Manager 3M+ · 4.9★ (1917)
wp.org #13 1 too low 13 
Smash Balloon Social Post Feed – Simple Social Feeds for WordPress 100K+ · 4.7★ (1511)
wp.org #20 ↓3 7 too low 14 
Affiliate Super Assistent 1K+ · 4.6★ (36)
wp.org #7 ↓3 7 too high 15 
Big File Uploads – Increase Maximum File Upload Size 100K+ · 4.9★ (403)
wp.org #18 ↓4 3 too low 16 Super Advent Calendar 300+ · 5.0★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #3 13 too high 17 
GeoDirectory – WP Business Directory Plugin and Classified Listings Directory 10K+ · 4.8★ (716)
wp.org #24 7 too low 18 
Clearfy Cache – WordPress optimization plugin, Minify HTML, CSS & JS, Defer 40K+ · 4.7★ (339)
wp.org #21 3 too low 19 
LearnPress – WordPress LMS Plugin for Create and Sell Online Courses 70K+ · 4.3★ (597)
wp.org #22 3 too low 20 
Super Testimonials 200+ · 4.1★ (26)
wp.org #9 ↓3 11 too high 21 
Create Block Theme 20K+ · 4.8★ (38)
wp.org #16 5 too high 22 
Pluginception 4K+ · 5.0★ (23) thin reviews
wp.org #19 ↓1 3 too high 23 
SureMail – SMTP and Email Logs Plugin with Amazon SES, Postmark, and Other Providers 200K+ · 4.7★ (25)
wp.org #23 24 
Super Product Filter for WooCommerce 50+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews
wp.org #17 ↑6 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.