wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “unique title”
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 “unique title”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 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
Amedea – Unique Design Elements for Elementor shows at wp.org #6 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 18 places. Its 500+ 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
Folders – Unlimited Folders to Organize Media Library Folder, Pages, Posts, File Manager places #9 on merit, 5.0★ from 1526 reviews, but shows at wp.org #17. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
All in One SEO – AI SEO Plugin to Boost SEO Rankings & Traffic (Schema, Local SEO, Sitemap & SEO Insights) 2M+ · 4.7★ (5231)
wp.org #3 ↓1 2 too low 2 
Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7520)
wp.org #4 ↑1 2 too low 3 
Unique Title Checker 900+ · 5.0★ (9) thin reviews
wp.org #1 2 too high 4 
Kadence Blocks — Page Builder Toolkit for Gutenberg Editor 600K+ · 4.8★ (333)
wp.org #5 ↑2 1 too low 5 
Modula Image Gallery – Photo Grid & Video Gallery 100K+ · 4.7★ (616)
wp.org #7 ↑3 2 too low 6 
ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2051)
wp.org #8 ↑1 2 too low 7 
The SEO Framework – Fast, Automated, Effortless. 200K+ · 4.9★ (380)
wp.org #10 3 too low 8 
GenerateBlocks 200K+ · 4.9★ (122)
wp.org #9 ↑2 1 too low 9 Folders – Unlimited Folders to Organize Media Library Folder, Pages, Posts, File Manager 90K+ · 5.0★ (1526)
wp.org #17 ↑7 8 too low 10 
Royal Addons for Elementor – Addons and Templates Kit for Elementor 600K+ · 4.8★ (612)
wp.org #12 2 too low 11 
Duplicate Title Validator 300+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #2 ↑2 9 too high 12 
Slider, Gallery, and Carousel by MetaSlider – Image Slider, Video Slider 500K+ · 4.6★ (743)
wp.org #13 1 too low 13 
Smart Slider 3 800K+ · 4.9★ (1125)
wp.org #14 ↑3 1 too low 14 
Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132)
wp.org #16 ↓1 2 too low 15 
Popup Builder – Create highly converting, mobile friendly marketing popups. 200K+ · 4.7★ (2215)
wp.org #20 5 too low 16 
Custom Permalinks 100K+ · 4.1★ (116)
wp.org #11 ↓3 5 too high 17 
Ultimate Addons for Elementor – Widgets, Templates, WooCommerce & Header Footer Builder 2M+ · 4.9★ (2528)
wp.org #19 2 too low 18 
SiteOrigin Widgets Bundle 400K+ · 4.9★ (134)
wp.org #15 ↑4 3 too high 19 
Ninja Forms – Contact Form Builder with Calculators, Quizzes, Signatures & AI Form Builder 500K+ · 4.4★ (1397)
wp.org #23 4 too low 20 
WP Statistics – Simple, privacy-friendly Google Analytics alternative 500K+ · 4.1★ (758)
wp.org #21 1 too low 21 
Post Duplicator 200K+ · 4.8★ (80)
wp.org #22 ↓4 1 too low 22 
Xpro Theme Builder For Elementor – FREE 20K+ · 5.0★ (14) thin reviews
wp.org #18 ↑3 4 too high 23 
Xpro Addons — 150+ Widgets for Elementor 40K+ · 4.4★ (28)
wp.org #24 1 too low 24 Amedea – Unique Design Elements for Elementor 500+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #6 18 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.