wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “totally”
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 “totally”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 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
Tamara Checkout shows at wp.org #7 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 16 places. Its 3K+ 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
Total Upkeep – WordPress Backup Plugin plus Restore & Migrate by BoldGrid places #3 on merit, 4.8★ from 442 reviews, but shows at wp.org #8. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Smart Slider 3 800K+ · 4.9★ (1125)
wp.org #1 2 
InfiniteWP Client 200K+ · 4.4★ (177)
wp.org #2 3 Total Upkeep – WordPress Backup Plugin plus Restore & Migrate by BoldGrid 40K+ · 4.8★ (442)
wp.org #8 ↓1 5 too low 4 
Blank Slate 10K+ · 5.0★ (23) thin reviews
wp.org #4 ↑1 5 
Cookies and Content Security Policy 10K+ · 4.9★ (67)
wp.org #6 ↑2 1 too low 6 
Fluent Forms – Customizable Contact Forms, Survey, Quiz, & Conversational Form Builder 800K+ · 4.8★ (807)
wp.org #9 ↓5 3 too low 7 
Dynamic Month & Year into Posts 8K+ · 5.0★ (18) thin reviews
wp.org #5 ↑1 2 too high 8 
NinjaFirewall (WP Edition) – Advanced Security Plugin and Firewall 100K+ · 4.9★ (220)
wp.org #13 ↓1 5 too low 9 
Classic Editor and Classic Widgets 20K+ · 5.0★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #3 6 too high 10 
PWA for WP – Progressive Web Apps Made Simple 10K+ · 4.6★ (230)
wp.org #14 4 too low 11 
WP Hide & Security Enhancer 50K+ · 4.3★ (275)
wp.org #16 ↑1 5 too low 12 
WC – APG Weight Shipping 6K+ · 4.3★ (49)
wp.org #11 ↓1 1 too high 13 
XT Ajax Add To Cart for WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.8★ (30)
wp.org #15 2 too low 14 
Team Members 20K+ · 4.2★ (53)
wp.org #17 ↓1 3 too low 15 
WPC Frequently Bought Together for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.5★ (84)
wp.org #23 ↓2 8 too low 16 
Top Bar 10K+ · 4.0★ (43)
wp.org #20 ↑2 4 too low 17 
Trusona for WordPress 400+ · 5.0★ (19) thin reviews
wp.org #22 ↑2 5 too low 18 
Grid Shortcodes 2K+ · 5.0★ (10) thin reviews
wp.org #24 6 too low 19 
Disable XML-RPC Pingback 60K+ · 3.9★ (14) thin reviews
wp.org #21 2 too low 20 
Local Fonts Uploader – Upload & Host Any Font Locally for GDPR 4K+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #18 2 too high 21 
Tota11y WP 200+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #10 ↑1 11 too high 22 
En Spam 500+ · 4.1★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #19 3 too high 23 Tamara Checkout 3K+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #7 ↑2 16 too high 24 
Post slider elementor addons 1K+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews
wp.org #12 ↑1 12 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.