wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “updated at”
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 “updated at”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 6 of the top 20. 4 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
Recently Updated Pages and Posts shows at wp.org #5 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 18 places. Its 100+ 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
Smash Balloon Social Post Feed – Simple Social Feeds for WordPress places #12 on merit, 4.7★ from 1511 reviews, but shows at wp.org #21. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7520)
wp.org #2 1 too low 2 
WooCommerce 7M+ · 4.5★ (4833) throws errorsnot PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #1 1 too high 3 
Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ · 4.7★ (1668)
wp.org #4 ↓1 1 too low 4 
Activity Log – Monitor User and Agent Changes 200K+ · 4.3★ (74)
wp.org #3 ↑5 1 too high 5 
Translate WordPress with GTranslate 900K+ · 4.9★ (4962)
wp.org #7 2 too low 6 
Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI 10M+ · 4.8★ (27821)
wp.org #11 ↑3 5 too low 7 
bbPress 100K+ · 3.9★ (343)
wp.org #6 1 too high 8 
Smash Balloon Social Photo Feed – Easy Social Feeds Plugin 1M+ · 4.9★ (4358)
wp.org #10 ↓6 2 too low 9 
Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) 3M+ · 4.9★ (8869)
wp.org #12 ↑3 3 too low 10 
Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408)
wp.org #8 ↑9 2 too high 11 
Easy Updates Manager 300K+ · 4.8★ (726)
wp.org #13 ↓3 2 too low 12 Smash Balloon Social Post Feed – Simple Social Feeds for WordPress 100K+ · 4.7★ (1511)
wp.org #21 ↓1 9 too low 13 
Better Search Replace 1M+ · 4.3★ (546)
wp.org #15 ↑3 2 too low 14 
Enable Media Replace 600K+ · 4.4★ (302)
wp.org #16 ↓4 2 too low 15 
Social Feed Gallery 80K+ · 4.5★ (303)
wp.org #20 5 too low 16 
Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (587)
wp.org #24 ↓5 8 too low 17 
PublishPress Revisions: Duplicate Posts, Submit, Approve and Schedule Content Changes 10K+ · 4.6★ (66)
wp.org #18 1 too low 18 
IP Location Block 10K+ · 4.5★ (35)
wp.org #17 1 too high 19 
Hostinger Tools 3M+ · 3.5★ (40) host-installed base
wp.org #9 10 too high 20 D Disable Plugin Autoupdate Emails 6K+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #14 ↑2 6 too high 21 
Google for WooCommerce 800K+ · 2.7★ (268) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #19 ↓8 2 too high 22 
Post Updated Date 500+ · 3.7★ (11) thin reviews
wp.org #23 1 too low 23 R Recently Updated Pages and Posts 100+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #5 18 too high 24 
SiteSEO – SEO Simplified 400K+ · 4.0★ (8) host-installed base thin reviews
wp.org #22 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.