wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “user offline”
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 “user offline”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 5 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
Legal Terms and Conditions Popup for User Login and WooCommerce Checkout shows at wp.org #11 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 500+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 14 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More 5M+ · 4.8★ (14387)
wp.org #2 ↑1 1 too low 2 
User Login History 10K+ · 4.6★ (29)
wp.org #1 1 too high 3 
PublishPress Capabilities: User Role Access Control, Admin Area Permissions 90K+ · 4.7★ (143)
wp.org #3 ↓1 4 
Click to Chat – HoliThemes 600K+ · 4.8★ (131)
wp.org #4 5 
UserFeedback – Create Interactive Feedback Form, User Surveys, and Polls in Seconds 200K+ · 4.8★ (309)
wp.org #6 1 too low 6 
GiveWP – Donation Plugin and Fundraising Platform 100K+ · 4.6★ (708)
wp.org #9 ↓1 3 too low 7 
Online Active Users 2K+ · 4.7★ (51)
wp.org #5 2 too high 8 
LearnPress – WordPress LMS Plugin for Create and Sell Online Courses 70K+ · 4.3★ (597)
wp.org #10 ↓1 2 too low 9 
WPForce Logout – WordPress User Login Logout Management Plugin 8K+ · 4.8★ (66)
wp.org #7 2 too high 10 
WP Social Ninja – Embed Social Feeds, User Reviews & Chat Widgets 30K+ · 4.8★ (71)
wp.org #8 ↑5 2 too high 11 
BackWPup – WordPress Backup & Restore Plugin 400K+ · 4.0★ (1323)
wp.org #12 ↑2 1 too low 12 
Events Manager – Calendar, Bookings, Tickets, Appointments and more! 60K+ · 4.2★ (551)
wp.org #13 ↓1 1 too low 13 
PWA for WP – Progressive Web Apps Made Simple 10K+ · 4.6★ (230)
wp.org #14 ↑1 1 too low 14 
Super Progressive Web Apps 40K+ · 4.6★ (225)
wp.org #15 ↑1 1 too low 15 
FluentCRM – Email Newsletter, Automation, Email Marketing, Email Campaigns, Optins, Leads, and CRM Solution 80K+ · 4.8★ (250)
wp.org #20 ↑3 5 too low 16 
Event Booking Manager for WooCommerce – Sell Tickets, Event Registration, RSVP & Event Calendar 7K+ · 4.5★ (167)
wp.org #16 ↑2 17 
Better Messages – Chat Rooms, Group Chat, Private Messages & AI Chat Bots 10K+ · 4.8★ (142)
wp.org #19 ↑1 2 too low 18 
Fluent Forms – Customizable Contact Forms, Survey, Quiz, & Conversational Form Builder 800K+ · 4.8★ (808)
wp.org #24 ↓2 6 too low 19 
Simply Static – The Static Site Generator 30K+ · 4.5★ (195)
wp.org #21 2 too low 20 Legal Terms and Conditions Popup for User Login and WooCommerce Checkout 500+ · 5.0★ (14) thin reviews
wp.org #11 9 too high 21 
CF7 Apps – Addons for Contact Form 7 (Honeypot, Database, Redirection, Webhook, etc.) 300K+ · 3.8★ (135)
wp.org #17 ↓7 4 too high 22 
EventPrime – Events Calendar, Bookings, Tickets & AI 7K+ · 4.4★ (85)
wp.org #22 ↓3 23 
Event Genius – Event Calendar, Event Registration, and Attendee Management 600+ · 4.8★ (17) thin reviews
wp.org #18 ↓1 5 too high 24 
SureDonation – Donation Forms, Fundraising Campaigns & Donor Management 4K+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #23 1 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.