wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “top of page”
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 of page”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 7 of the top 20. 5 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
MakeITeasy Back To Top shows at wp.org #13 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 2K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Folders – Unlimited Folders to Organize Media Library Folder, Pages, Posts, File Manager places #9 on merit, 5.0★ from 1525 reviews, but shows at wp.org #18. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #1 2 
Table of Contents Plus – Automatic Table of Contents for Posts & Pages 200K+ · 4.5★ (187)
wp.org #3 ↓1 1 too low 3 
To Top 60K+ · 4.8★ (54) not PHP-current
wp.org #2 ↑1 1 too high 4 
WPFront Scroll Top 200K+ · 4.9★ (142)
wp.org #4 5 
WebberZone Top 10 — Popular Posts 10K+ · 4.6★ (102)
wp.org #5 6 
Kadence Blocks — Page Builder Toolkit for Gutenberg Editor 600K+ · 4.8★ (333) heavy footprint
wp.org #6 ↑1 7 
Simple Page Ordering 100K+ · 4.7★ (131)
wp.org #9 ↑1 2 too low 8 
Smooth Back To Top Button 40K+ · 4.9★ (31)
wp.org #7 ↓1 1 too high 9 Folders – Unlimited Folders to Organize Media Library Folder, Pages, Posts, File Manager 90K+ · 5.0★ (1525)
wp.org #18 ↑5 9 too low 10 
Page scroll to id 100K+ · 4.9★ (225) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #8 2 too high 11 
Page Builder by SiteOrigin 400K+ · 4.8★ (1005)
wp.org #16 5 too low 12 
Website Builder by SeedProd — Theme Builder, Landing Page Builder, Coming Soon Page, Maintenance Mode 600K+ · 4.9★ (4699)
wp.org #19 7 too low 13 
WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance 1M+ · 4.8★ (2617)
wp.org #15 ↑3 2 too low 14 
PPWP – Password Protect Pages 30K+ · 4.7★ (271)
wp.org #14 ↓5 15 
Easy Table of Contents 600K+ · 4.4★ (221)
wp.org #11 ↑1 4 too high 16 
Back To The Top Button 4K+ · 5.0★ (28)
wp.org #10 ↑1 6 too high 17 
Nested Pages 90K+ · 4.7★ (126)
wp.org #24 7 too low 18 
Admin Menu Tree Page View 10K+ · 4.6★ (48)
wp.org #21 3 too low 19 
Greenshift – animation and page builder blocks 70K+ · 4.8★ (107) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #17 2 too high 20 
WooCommerce 7M+ · 4.5★ (4833) throws errorsnot PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #22 2 too low 21 
MC4WP: Mailchimp Top Bar – Email Subscribe Notification Bar 6K+ · 4.6★ (31) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #12 ↑1 9 too high 22 
Page View Count 10K+ · 4.0★ (55) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #20 2 too high 23 
WP Top News — Build a Complete News Portal in WordPress 800+ · 5.0★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #23 24 MakeITeasy Back To Top 2K+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #13 ↑1 11 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.