wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “superb”
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 “superb”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 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
Superb Helper shows at wp.org #6 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 15 places. Its 8K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 0.0★ average from 0 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Mailmunch Forms for Mailchimp places #9 on merit, 4.6★ from 372 reviews, but shows at wp.org #15. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Superb Addons: Blocks, Patterns, Pre-built Pages, Sliders, Popups, Free Forms, Animations & More 80K+ · 4.9★ (23) thin reviews
wp.org #1 2 
GeoDirectory – WP Business Directory Plugin and Classified Listings Directory 10K+ · 4.8★ (716)
wp.org #3 ↑1 1 too low 3 
WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance 1M+ · 4.8★ (2617)
wp.org #5 2 too low 4 
Ad Inserter – Ad Manager & AdSense Ads 300K+ · 4.9★ (2433)
wp.org #7 ↑3 3 too low 5 
Superb Social Media Share Buttons and Follow Buttons 6K+ · 4.4★ (11) thin reviews
wp.org #2 3 too high 6 
Ecwid by Lightspeed Ecommerce Shopping Cart 20K+ · 4.5★ (228)
wp.org #8 2 too low 7 
Matomo Analytics – Powerful, Privacy-First Insights for WordPress 100K+ · 4.6★ (178)
wp.org #10 ↓1 3 too low 8 
Custom Twitter Feeds – A Tweets Widget or X Feed Widget 100K+ · 4.8★ (401)
wp.org #13 ↑1 5 too low 9 Mailmunch Forms for Mailchimp 10K+ · 4.6★ (372)
wp.org #15 6 too low 10 
Patchstack – WordPress & Plugins Security 100K+ · 4.8★ (62)
wp.org #11 1 too low 11 
Jetpack CRM – Clients, Leads, Invoices, Billing, Email Marketing, & Automation 30K+ · 4.3★ (152)
wp.org #14 ↓1 3 too low 12 
Team – Team Members Showcase Plugin 10K+ · 4.5★ (67)
wp.org #12 ↑4 13 
Element Pack Addons for Elementor – MCP & AI-Ready Elementor Widgets, Elementor Templates, Elementor Addons 100K+ · 4.7★ (284)
wp.org #21 ↑2 8 too low 14 
B2BKing — Ultimate WooCommerce B2B and Wholesale Plugin — Wholesale Prices, Bulk Order Form & More 10K+ · 4.9★ (109)
wp.org #22 8 too low 15 
SchedulePress – Auto Post & Publish, Auto Social Share, Schedule Posts with Editorial Calendar & Missed Schedule Post Publisher 10K+ · 4.6★ (201)
wp.org #23 ↓6 8 too low 16 
Nexter Blocks – Gutenberg Blocks, Page Builder & AI Website Builder 9K+ · 4.8★ (90)
wp.org #24 8 too low 17 
Rublon Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) 400+ · 4.2★ (88)
wp.org #18 1 too low 18 
Superb Table (SEO Optimized Tables With Schema) 2K+ · 3.6★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #4 ↓1 14 too high 19 
Lead Form Data Collection to CRM 400+ · 4.0★ (46)
wp.org #20 ↑2 1 too low 20 
CM Pop-Up – Create engaging popups to capture attention and boost interaction 8K+ · 3.4★ (13) thin reviews
wp.org #19 ↑2 1 too high 21 Superb Helper 8K+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews
wp.org #6 15 too high 22 
Superb Recent Posts With Thumbnail Images 6K+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews
wp.org #9 ↓2 13 too high 23 
CM Header and Footer – Add custom scripts and styles to your header and footer with ease 1K+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #17 ↑3 6 too high 24 
Live Copy Paste for Elementor – Cross Domain Copy Paste & Page Duplicator 6K+ · 4.3★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #16 ↑3 8 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.