wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “thoughts”
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 “thoughts”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 7 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
Jetpack Search shows at wp.org #10 but places #16 on merit, a gap of 6 places. Its 5K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.5★ average from 10 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2144)
wp.org #1 2 
All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720)
wp.org #2 3 
W3 Total Cache 900K+ · 4.4★ (5420)
wp.org #3 4 
Jetpack Boost – Website Speed, Performance and Critical CSS 200K+ · 4.7★ (612)
wp.org #4 5 
Kadence Security – Password, Two Factor Authentication, and Brute Force Protection 700K+ · 4.6★ (3992)
wp.org #7 2 too low 6 
Jetpack Protect 100K+ · 4.6★ (123)
wp.org #6 7 
Catch IDs 20K+ · 4.8★ (20) thin reviews
wp.org #5 2 too high 8 
FakerPress 10K+ · 4.9★ (205)
wp.org #11 3 too low 9 
Omnibus — show the lowest price 10K+ · 4.1★ (51)
wp.org #9 10 
Simply Show Hooks 1K+ · 5.0★ (63)
wp.org #12 2 too low 11 
Quotes llama 1K+ · 4.6★ (30)
wp.org #8 3 too high 12 
Stream – Activity Log & Audit Trail 70K+ · 4.3★ (76)
wp.org #13 1 too low 13 
PowerPack Addons for Elementor: Widgets, Form Styler and Templates 70K+ · 4.8★ (361)
wp.org #22 9 too low 14 
Featured Images in RSS for Mailchimp & More 20K+ · 4.3★ (113)
wp.org #15 1 too low 15 
Widgets for Booking.com Reviews 9K+ · 4.9★ (65)
wp.org #23 8 too low 16 Jetpack Search 5K+ · 4.5★ (10) thin reviews
wp.org #10 6 too high 17 
PWA — easy way to Progressive Web App 1K+ · 4.8★ (26)
wp.org #19 2 too low 18 
WPC Buy Now Button for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.7★ (15) thin reviews
wp.org #16 2 too high 19 
StoryChief 1K+ · 4.7★ (14) thin reviews
wp.org #14 5 too high 20 
SpinupWP 30K+ · 5.0★ (13) thin reviews
wp.org #21 1 too low 21 
Post Affiliate Pro 400+ · 4.6★ (23) thin reviews
wp.org #24 3 too low 22 
Premmerce Product Filter for WooCommerce 2K+ · 3.4★ (22) thin reviews
wp.org #17 5 too high 23 
Block Responsive – Make Editor Blocks Responsive Easily 800+ · 5.0★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #20 3 too high 24 E Eyes Only 70+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #18 6 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.