wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “used”
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 “used”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 of the top 20. 1 plugin is 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
Berq Used CSS – Remove Unused CSS Automatically shows at wp.org #3 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 17 places. Its 70+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Polylang places #11 on merit, 4.7★ from 3003 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.
Site Kit by Google – Analytics, Search Console, AdSense, Speed 5M+ · 4.2★ (1012)
wp.org #1 ↑1 2 
Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7519)
wp.org #2 ↓1 3 
LiteSpeed Cache 7M+ · 4.8★ (2778)
wp.org #7 4 too low 4 
WooCommerce 7M+ · 4.5★ (4833) throws errorsnot PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #4 5 
MailPoet – Newsletters, Email Marketing, and Automation 500K+ · 4.4★ (1435) heavy footprint
wp.org #6 1 too low 6 
Anti-Spam, Spam FireWall by CleanTalk 200K+ · 4.8★ (3220)
wp.org #11 5 too low 7 
All-in-One WP Migration and Backup 5M+ · 4.5★ (7676)
wp.org #9 2 too low 8 
Royal Addons for Elementor – Addons and Templates Kit for Elementor 600K+ · 4.8★ (612)
wp.org #8 9 
UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8706)
wp.org #13 ↑1 4 too low 10 
Redirection 2M+ · 4.4★ (703)
wp.org #10 11 Polylang 900K+ · 4.7★ (3003)
wp.org #18 ↑1 7 too low 12 
Classic Editor 8M+ · 4.9★ (1251)
wp.org #17 ↑4 5 too low 13 
Maintenance 1M+ · 4.4★ (869)
wp.org #14 ↓1 1 too low 14 
301 Redirects – Redirect Manager 300K+ · 4.7★ (578)
wp.org #21 ↑3 7 too low 15 
GiveWP – Donation Plugin and Fundraising Platform 100K+ · 4.6★ (708) throws errorsnot PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #15 16 
Smart Slider 3 800K+ · 4.9★ (1125)
wp.org #24 ↓2 8 too low 17 
Media Tracker – Track Unused, Duplicate & Used Media 1K+ · 4.2★ (9) thin reviews
wp.org #5 12 too high 18 
Local Google Fonts 100K+ · 4.6★ (83)
wp.org #19 ↓1 1 too low 19 
Advanced Editor Tools 1M+ · 4.5★ (354)
wp.org #23 4 too low 20 Berq Used CSS – Remove Unused CSS Automatically 70+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #3 17 too high 21 L Listo 7K+ · 4.8★ (12) thin reviews
wp.org #16 5 too high 22 
SVG Block 4K+ · 5.0★ (14) thin reviews
wp.org #22 ↓2 23 
WooCommerce Stripe Payment Gateway 700K+ · 3.1★ (237) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #20 ↓3 3 too high 24 
MediaMan – Where is this Image Used? 500+ · 3.7★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #12 12 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.