wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “upgrading”
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 “upgrading”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 5 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
OPcache Reset shows at wp.org #15 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 500+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
The Events Calendar 600K+ · 4.2★ (2461)
wp.org #1 2 
Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) 3M+ · 4.9★ (8869)
wp.org #3 1 too low 3 
Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408)
wp.org #2 1 too high 4 
WP 2FA – Two-factor authentication for WordPress 100K+ · 4.7★ (184)
wp.org #4 ↑1 5 
Limit Login Attempts Security – Login Security, 2FA, Firewall, Brute Force Prevention 1M+ · 4.8★ (1489)
wp.org #5 ↓1 6 
WP Rollback – Rollback Plugins and Themes 200K+ · 4.9★ (215)
wp.org #6 7 
Jetpack Boost – Website Speed, Performance and Critical CSS 200K+ · 4.7★ (612)
wp.org #8 1 too low 8 
Jetpack Protect 100K+ · 4.6★ (123)
wp.org #7 1 too high 9 
Beaver Builder Page Builder – Drag and Drop Website Builder 100K+ · 4.7★ (394)
wp.org #10 1 too low 10 
Fonts 8K+ · 4.4★ (99)
wp.org #11 1 too low 11 
Event Tickets and Registration 90K+ · 3.5★ (236) heavy footprint
wp.org #9 2 too high 12 J jQuery Updater 20K+ · 4.5★ (64)
wp.org #12 ↑1 13 
Drag and Drop Multiple File Upload for Contact Form 7 60K+ · 4.8★ (94)
wp.org #19 ↑2 6 too low 14 
Custom Permalinks 100K+ · 4.1★ (116)
wp.org #20 ↓3 6 too low 15 
Co-Authors Plus 20K+ · 3.5★ (77)
wp.org #13 ↓1 2 too high 16 
WPGraphQL 30K+ · 4.9★ (48)
wp.org #21 ↓2 5 too low 17 
YITH WooCommerce Wishlist 400K+ · 3.9★ (262) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #14 3 too high 18 
Fuse Social Icons 10K+ · 4.6★ (58) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #16 2 too high 19 
Mailchimp List Subscribe Form 60K+ · 2.6★ (77)
wp.org #18 ↑2 1 too high 20 
Cyr to Lat Reloaded – Transliteration of Links and File Names 30K+ · 4.5★ (15) thin reviews
wp.org #23 3 too low 21 
Convert to Blocks 2K+ · 4.7★ (10) thin reviews
wp.org #24 3 too low 22 
YITH WooCommerce Quick View 80K+ · 3.8★ (27) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #22 23 OPcache Reset 500+ · 4.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #15 8 too high 24 
WooCommerce Legacy REST API 400K+ · 1.5★ (29) host-installed base
wp.org #17 ↑1 7 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.