wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “top contributor”
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 contributor”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 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
Contributor Résumé and Insights shows at wp.org #4 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 17 places. Its 10+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Otter Blocks – Gutenberg Blocks, Page Builder for Gutenberg Editor & FSE places #12 on merit, 4.7★ from 251 reviews, but shows at wp.org #21. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
WooCommerce 7M+ · 4.5★ (4833)
wp.org #1 2 
Post Views Counter 100K+ · 4.9★ (1237)
wp.org #2 ↑1 3 
The Events Calendar 600K+ · 4.2★ (2461)
wp.org #3 ↓1 4 
Category Order and Taxonomy Terms Order 500K+ · 4.5★ (162)
wp.org #5 1 too low 5 
Parsi Date | بسته فارسی ساز وردپرس و ووکامرس پارسی دیت 100K+ · 4.6★ (130)
wp.org #6 1 too low 6 
WP Job Manager 70K+ · 4.4★ (237)
wp.org #7 1 too low 7 
Co-Authors, Multiple Authors and Guest Authors in an Author Box with PublishPress Authors 20K+ · 4.9★ (114)
wp.org #8 ↓2 1 too low 8 
Charitable – Donation & Fundraising Platform (Donation Forms, Recurring Donations & Fundraising Campaigns) 10K+ · 4.9★ (219)
wp.org #10 2 too low 9 
Molongui Authorship – Author Boxes, Guest Authors & Co-Authors for WordPress 10K+ · 4.7★ (158)
wp.org #9 ↓4 10 
WP Sticky Sidebar – Floating Sidebar On Scroll for Any Theme 10K+ · 4.9★ (153)
wp.org #14 ↓2 4 too low 11 
PublishPress Capabilities: User Role Access Control, Admin Area Permissions 90K+ · 4.7★ (143)
wp.org #17 ↓2 6 too low 12 Otter Blocks – Gutenberg Blocks, Page Builder for Gutenberg Editor & FSE 300K+ · 4.7★ (251)
wp.org #21 ↓2 9 too low 13 
weDocs: AI Powered Knowledge Base, Docs, Documentation, Wiki & AI Chatbot 5K+ · 4.6★ (69)
wp.org #15 ↓2 2 too low 14 
Editorial Calendar 20K+ · 4.9★ (79)
wp.org #19 ↓1 5 too low 15 
Visual Composer Website Builder 30K+ · 4.6★ (220)
wp.org #22 ↓2 7 too low 16 
Sentry for WordPress 10K+ · 4.9★ (16) thin reviews
wp.org #11 ↓3 5 too high 17 
Event Tickets and Registration 90K+ · 3.5★ (236)
wp.org #20 ↓3 3 too low 18 
SureRank SEO – Meta Tags, Social Preview, XML Sitemap, Schema & Open Graph 300K+ · 4.8★ (51)
wp.org #24 ↓2 6 too low 19 
Powerkit – Supercharge your WordPress Site 10K+ · 4.5★ (14) thin reviews
wp.org #13 ↓2 6 too high 20 
WP Post Author – Author Box, Multiple Authors, Guest Authors & Custom Avatars 10K+ · 4.2★ (22) thin reviews
wp.org #23 ↓2 3 too low 21 Contributor Résumé and Insights 10+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #4 17 too high 22 
Stylish Top Author Widget 10+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #12 ↓3 10 too high 23 B Back to the Top 100+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews
wp.org #16 ↓2 7 too high 24 
Simple Goto Top Button 90+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews
wp.org #18 ↓2 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.