wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “translators”
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 “translators”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 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
Automatic Translator with Google Translate shows at wp.org #7 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 2K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.4★ average from 11 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Favicon by RealFaviconGenerator places #12 on merit, 4.9★ from 802 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.
UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8706)
wp.org #1 2 
Translate WordPress – Google Language Translator 100K+ · 4.7★ (620)
wp.org #2 3 
Translate WordPress with GTranslate 900K+ · 4.9★ (4962)
wp.org #3 4 
Polylang 900K+ · 4.7★ (3004)
wp.org #4 ↑1 5 
TranslatePress – Translate Multilingual sites with AI Translation 400K+ · 4.7★ (1667)
wp.org #5 ↓1 6 
MailPoet – Newsletters, Email Marketing, and Automation 500K+ · 4.4★ (1435) heavy footprint
wp.org #9 ↓2 3 too low 7 
Pods – Custom Content Types and Fields 100K+ · 4.8★ (418)
wp.org #12 ↓1 5 too low 8 
Prisna GWT – Google Website Translator 8K+ · 4.5★ (54)
wp.org #6 2 too high 9 
SVG Support 1M+ · 4.8★ (356)
wp.org #10 ↓1 1 too low 10 
WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance 1M+ · 4.8★ (2617)
wp.org #14 ↑1 4 too low 11 
WP Rollback – Rollback Plugins and Themes 200K+ · 4.9★ (215)
wp.org #13 ↓1 2 too low 12 Favicon by RealFaviconGenerator 200K+ · 4.9★ (802)
wp.org #18 ↑2 6 too low 13 
Custom Post Type Permalinks 200K+ · 4.8★ (71)
wp.org #11 ↑2 2 too high 14 
LocoAI – Auto Translate for Loco Translate 70K+ · 4.9★ (642)
wp.org #21 ↓5 7 too low 15 
Ad Inserter – Ad Manager & AdSense Ads 300K+ · 4.9★ (2433)
wp.org #24 9 too low 16 
WPML Multilingual & Multicurrency for WooCommerce 100K+ · 4.2★ (454)
wp.org #17 ↑2 1 too low 17 
Auto Upload Images 20K+ · 4.3★ (106)
wp.org #15 ↑2 2 too high 18 
Ailo – AI Slug Translator 1K+ · 4.9★ (12) thin reviews
wp.org #8 ↑2 10 too high 19 
SSL Insecure Content Fixer 100K+ · 4.8★ (221) not PHP-current
wp.org #20 ↑2 1 too low 20 Automatic Translator with Google Translate 2K+ · 4.4★ (11) thin reviews
wp.org #7 ↑1 13 too high 21 
Translate and boost SEO – Automatic AI translation – wpLingua 2K+ · 4.9★ (33)
wp.org #23 2 too low 22 
Connect Matomo – Analytics Dashboard for WordPress 60K+ · 4.5★ (95) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #19 ↑2 3 too high 23 
AI Translator for Polylang 70+ · 5.0★ (11) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #16 ↑2 7 too high 24 
YITH WooCommerce Compare 100K+ · 4.1★ (38) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #22 ↑1 2 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.