wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “uploading”
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 “uploading”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 6 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
Easy SVG Support shows at wp.org #12 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 40K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 6 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Big File Uploads – Increase Maximum File Upload Size places #11 on merit, 4.9★ from 403 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.
Enable Media Replace 600K+ · 4.4★ (302)
wp.org #1 ↑1 2 
Folders – Unlimited Folders to Organize Media Library Folder, Pages, Posts, File Manager 90K+ · 5.0★ (1526)
wp.org #2 ↑1 3 
Post Types Order 600K+ · 4.5★ (296)
wp.org #3 ↓2 4 
Imsanity 200K+ · 4.9★ (291)
wp.org #4 5 
Modula Image Gallery – Photo Grid & Video Gallery 100K+ · 4.7★ (616)
wp.org #5 ↑1 6 
Advanced File Manager – Ultimate File Manager for WordPress And Document Library Solution 100K+ · 4.8★ (442)
wp.org #7 ↑1 1 too low 7 
BackWPup – WordPress Backup & Restore Plugin 400K+ · 4.0★ (1323)
wp.org #6 ↓1 1 too high 8 
Media File Renamer: Rename Images & Files for SEO (AI-Powered) 40K+ · 4.6★ (447)
wp.org #11 ↑6 3 too low 9 
Widget Importer & Exporter 200K+ · 4.7★ (117)
wp.org #8 ↓1 1 too high 10 
Resize Image After Upload 80K+ · 4.8★ (56)
wp.org #9 1 too high 11 Big File Uploads – Increase Maximum File Upload Size 100K+ · 4.9★ (403)
wp.org #17 ↓2 6 too low 12 
FileOrganizer – WordPress File Manager 200K+ · 4.8★ (49)
wp.org #10 2 too high 13 
Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (397)
wp.org #20 ↑4 7 too low 14 
SimpLy Gallery 40K+ · 4.8★ (118)
wp.org #16 ↑3 2 too low 15 
Instant Images – One-click Image Uploads from Unsplash, Openverse, Pixabay, Pexels, and Giphy 100K+ · 4.8★ (59)
wp.org #13 ↓1 2 too high 16 
Widget Content Blocks 10K+ · 4.8★ (60)
wp.org #15 ↓2 1 too high 17 
Drag and Drop Multiple File Upload for Contact Form 7 60K+ · 4.8★ (94)
wp.org #23 6 too low 18 
WP Offload Media Lite for Amazon S3, DigitalOcean Spaces, and Google Cloud Storage 30K+ · 3.7★ (115)
wp.org #21 3 too low 19 
Enable SVG, WebP, and ICO Upload 10K+ · 4.6★ (11) thin reviews
wp.org #14 ↓3 5 too high 20 C Custom Upload Dir 5K+ · 4.4★ (25)
wp.org #18 ↓4 2 too high 21 Easy SVG Support 40K+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #12 9 too high 22 
Clean Image Filenames 30K+ · 4.6★ (21) thin reviews
wp.org #24 ↓1 2 too low 23 
Shared Albums for Google Photos 500+ · 4.9★ (10) thin reviews
wp.org #19 ↓3 4 too high 24 
Canvas Image Resize 1K+ · 4.6★ (10) thin reviews
wp.org #22 ↓2 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.