wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “updated time”
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 time”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 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
Meks Time Ago shows at wp.org #14 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 10K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.3★ average from 9 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
SlimStat Analytics – Real-Time Stats, Heatmaps & Ecommerce places #10 on merit, 4.8★ from 816 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.
Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI 10M+ · 4.8★ (27820)
wp.org #1 2 
WooCommerce 7M+ · 4.5★ (4833)
wp.org #2 3 
Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5040)
wp.org #6 3 too low 4 
Reading Time WP 20K+ · 4.8★ (20) thin reviews
wp.org #3 1 too high 5 
Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7520)
wp.org #9 4 too low 6 
WP Date and Time Shortcode 10K+ · 4.9★ (31)
wp.org #4 2 too high 7 
Real-Time Find and Replace 70K+ · 4.5★ (82)
wp.org #5 2 too high 8 
Visitor Traffic Real Time Statistics 30K+ · 4.1★ (233)
wp.org #7 1 too high 9 
Backup and Staging by WP Time Capsule 10K+ · 4.0★ (128)
wp.org #8 1 too high 10 SlimStat Analytics – Real-Time Stats, Heatmaps & Ecommerce 70K+ · 4.8★ (816)
wp.org #18 ↓1 8 too low 11 
Daily Prayer Time 1K+ · 4.9★ (96)
wp.org #11 ↑1 12 
Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408)
wp.org #12 ↓1 13 
BlogVault Backup & Staging 80K+ · 4.6★ (332)
wp.org #16 3 too low 14 
Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ · 4.7★ (1667)
wp.org #17 ↑6 3 too low 15 
WP Time Slots Booking Form 1K+ · 5.0★ (41)
wp.org #10 5 too high 16 
Translate WordPress with GTranslate 900K+ · 4.9★ (4962)
wp.org #22 6 too low 17 
Better Find and Replace – AI-Powered Suggestions 40K+ · 4.6★ (171)
wp.org #24 7 too low 18 
Delivery Date Time & Pickup for WooCommerce 400+ · 4.2★ (113)
wp.org #23 ↓2 5 too low 19 
Dynamic Time 200+ · 4.7★ (21) thin reviews
wp.org #15 4 too high 20 
StatCounter – Real Time Visitor Stats, Session Replay & Heatmaps 70K+ · 4.2★ (58)
wp.org #21 ↓1 1 too low 21 
Widget Visibility Time Scheduler 1K+ · 5.0★ (8) thin reviews
wp.org #13 8 too high 22 
Read Meter – Reading Time & Progress Bar 10K+ · 4.5★ (19) thin reviews
wp.org #20 ↓1 2 too high 23 Meks Time Ago 10K+ · 4.3★ (9) thin reviews
wp.org #14 9 too high 24 
All in One Time Clock Lite – Tracking Employee Time Has Never Been Easier 500+ · 4.6★ (8) thin reviews
wp.org #19 ↓1 5 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.