wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “top 40”
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 “top 40”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 4 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
Jeg Kit for Elementor – Powerful Addons for Elementor, Widgets & Templates for WordPress shows at wp.org #16 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 6 places. Its 300K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.8★ average from 79 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7520)
wp.org #1 ↑1 2 
MetForm – Contact Form, Survey, Quiz, Conditional Forms, Form Templates & Custom Form Builder for Elementor 500K+ · 4.7★ (509)
wp.org #2 ↑1 3 
Product Feed for Google Shopping, Microsoft Advertising and 40+ Channels for WooCommerce Merchant 2K+ · 4.8★ (87)
wp.org #3 4 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322)
wp.org #5 1 too low 5 
GeoDirectory – WP Business Directory Plugin and Classified Listings Directory 10K+ · 4.8★ (716)
wp.org #7 2 too low 6 
BrikPanel: WooCommerce Dashboard & Analytics, Abandoned Cart Recovery, Order Export, Inventory Management & Bulk Editor 1K+ · 5.0★ (55)
wp.org #4 ↑2 2 too high 7 
CookieYes – Cookie Banner for Cookie Consent (Easy to setup GDPR/CCPA Compliant Cookie Notice) 1M+ · 4.8★ (3236)
wp.org #8 1 too low 8 
Meta Box – A Framework for Dynamic Websites 500K+ · 4.8★ (165)
wp.org #6 ↓2 2 too high 9 
W3 Total Cache 900K+ · 4.4★ (5420)
wp.org #11 ↑1 2 too low 10 
ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2052)
wp.org #12 ↑2 2 too low 11 
Image Hover Effects – Elementor Addon 40K+ · 4.9★ (83)
wp.org #9 2 too high 12 
GetGenie – AI SEO Assistant & Content Writer with Keyword Research, AEO & GEO 70K+ · 4.8★ (119)
wp.org #10 2 too high 13 
Video Gallery – YouTube Playlist, Channel Gallery by YotuWP 10K+ · 4.7★ (322)
wp.org #13 14 
HappyAddons for Elementor – 160 Elementor Widgets, GSAP Animations & Templates 400K+ · 4.8★ (489)
wp.org #15 ↓5 1 too low 15 
PowerPack Addons for Elementor: Widgets, Form Styler and Templates 70K+ · 4.8★ (361)
wp.org #18 3 too low 16 
ShopEngine – All-in-One Elementor WooCommerce Builder with eCommerce Templates & Woo Widgets 100K+ · 4.6★ (212)
wp.org #17 1 too low 17 
Broken Link Checker 500K+ · 3.8★ (605)
wp.org #14 ↑2 3 too high 18 
WP Popups – WordPress Popup builder 30K+ · 4.9★ (112)
wp.org #19 ↓1 1 too low 19 
Cookiebot – Cookie Banner & Cookie Consent for GDPR, CCPA & Google Consent Mode 100K+ · 4.4★ (440)
wp.org #21 2 too low 20 
Social Login, Social Sharing by miniOrange 10K+ · 4.6★ (356)
wp.org #24 4 too low 21 
Brevo – Email, SMS, Web Push, Chat, and more. 100K+ · 4.1★ (284)
wp.org #22 ↓1 1 too low 22 Jeg Kit for Elementor – Powerful Addons for Elementor, Widgets & Templates for WordPress 300K+ · 3.8★ (79)
wp.org #16 6 too high 23 T Themify Popup 8K+ · 4.9★ (11) thin reviews
wp.org #20 ↓1 3 too high 24 
Online Forms — Customizable Payment, Contact, Quiz, Survey Form Builder – Jotform 20K+ · 3.2★ (29)
wp.org #23 ↓2 1 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.