wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “touch”
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 “touch”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 of the top 20. 6 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
Touch Slider for Elementor shows at wp.org #4 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 20 places. Its 90+ 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.
Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) heavy footprint
wp.org #1 2 
The Events Calendar 600K+ · 4.2★ (2461)
wp.org #3 1 too low 3 
Master Slider – Responsive Touch Slider 60K+ · 4.6★ (504) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #2 1 too high 4 
Max Mega Menu 300K+ · 4.8★ (882)
wp.org #7 ↓2 3 too low 5 
Favicon by RealFaviconGenerator 200K+ · 4.9★ (802)
wp.org #8 ↓1 3 too low 6 
Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2143)
wp.org #9 ↑1 3 too low 7 
Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) 2M+ · 4.5★ (1440) heavy footprint
wp.org #6 ↑5 1 too high 8 
Backup Migration 80K+ · 4.9★ (1338)
wp.org #11 ↓3 3 too low 9 
Smart Slider 3 800K+ · 4.9★ (1125)
wp.org #12 ↑1 3 too low 10 
Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (587)
wp.org #13 ↓4 3 too low 11 
Post Types Order 600K+ · 4.5★ (296)
wp.org #10 ↑2 1 too high 12 
WP 2FA – Two-factor authentication for WordPress 100K+ · 4.7★ (184)
wp.org #14 ↑8 2 too low 13 
Cart Abandonment Recovery for WooCommerce – Recover Lost Sales with Automated Emails 300K+ · 4.8★ (625) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #15 2 too low 14 
BackWPup – WordPress Backup & Restore Plugin 400K+ · 4.0★ (1323) not PHP-current
wp.org #16 2 too low 15 
Watu Quiz 3K+ · 4.7★ (137)
wp.org #21 ↓7 6 too low 16 
Enable Media Replace 600K+ · 4.4★ (302)
wp.org #24 ↓7 8 too low 17 
Carousel Slider 30K+ · 4.3★ (160) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #18 ↓1 1 too low 18 
Speed Contact Bar 4K+ · 4.6★ (56)
wp.org #22 ↓3 4 too low 19 
Axeptio – Cookie Banner – GDPR Consent & Compliance with a friendly touch 8K+ · 5.0★ (4) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #5 ↑1 14 too high 20 
WooSwipe WooCommerce Gallery 3K+ · 4.5★ (39) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #17 ↓1 3 too high 21 
Slider Pro 4K+ · 5.0★ (12) thin reviews
wp.org #19 ↑1 2 too high 22 
Gutenberg 400K+ · 2.1★ (3888)
wp.org #23 1 too low 23 F Favicon Rotator 20K+ · 4.3★ (12) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #20 ↓2 3 too high 24 Touch Slider for Elementor 90+ · 5.0★ (1) not PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #4 20 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.