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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “top list”

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 list”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 14 of the top 20. 3 plugins are pushed down for signals wp.org ignores: errors, a host-installed base, or removal risk.

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 it throws errors on current PHP, whether the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.

Ranked above its merit

Users Registration Date – Sortable Users Column shows at wp.org #12 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 3K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 6 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

TablePress – Tables in WordPress made easy places #10 on merit, 5.0★ from 4625 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.

merit plugin wp.org
1 WebberZone Top 10 — Popular Posts 10K+ · 4.6★ (102) wp.org #1 2 VS Event List 8K+ · 4.9★ (82) wp.org #2 3 W4 Post List 3K+ · 4.7★ (94) wp.org #3 4 Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI 10M+ · 4.8★ (27821) wp.org #9 5 too low 5 Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408) wp.org #7 2 too low 6 ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2051) wp.org #11 5 too low 7 Product Table & List Builder for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.9★ (254) wp.org #14 7 too low 8 Kadence Blocks — Page Builder Toolkit for Gutenberg Editor 600K+ · 4.8★ (333) wp.org #10 2 too low 9 Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132) wp.org #13 4 too low 10 TablePress – Tables in WordPress made easy 600K+ · 5.0★ (4625) wp.org #21 11 too low 11 12 Step Meeting List 900+ · 5.0★ (28) wp.org #8 3 too high 12 Ultimate Post List 2K+ · 4.6★ (13) wp.org #5 7 too high 13 WP Top News — Build a Complete News Portal in WordPress 800+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #4 9 too high 14 List Last Changes 1K+ · 4.8★ (11) wp.org #6 8 too high 15 Cryptocurrency Widgets – Price Ticker & Coins List 6K+ · 4.8★ (191) wp.org #18 3 too low 16 WP Statistics – Simple, privacy-friendly Google Analytics alternative 500K+ · 4.1★ (759) wp.org #20 4 too low 17 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) wp.org #23 6 too low 18 MailMunch – Grow your Email List 5K+ · 4.7★ (241) wp.org #17 1 too high 19 BrikPanel: WooCommerce Dashboard & Analytics, Abandoned Cart Recovery, Order Export, Inventory Management & Bulk Editor 1K+ · 5.0★ (55) wp.org #15 4 too high 20 Custom Post Type UI 1M+ · 4.6★ (276) wp.org #24 4 too low 21 Ditty – Responsive News Tickers, Sliders, and Lists 30K+ · 4.6★ (106) wp.org #16 5 too high 22 Wishlist for WooCommerce: Multiple Wishlists per Customer 2K+ · 4.9★ (53) wp.org #22 23 Users Registration Date – Sortable Users Column 3K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #12 11 too high 24 Description List Block 400+ · 2.3★ (3) wp.org #19 5 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.