wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “user rating”
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 rating”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 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
Paid Membership Plugin, Ecommerce, User Registration Form, Login Form, User Profile & Restrict Content – ProfilePress shows at wp.org #10 but places #17 on merit, a gap of 7 places. Its 100K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.1★ average from 938 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Customer Reviews for WooCommerce places #11 on merit, 4.8★ from 1539 reviews, but shows at wp.org #20. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8706)
wp.org #2 1 too low 2 
Reviews and Rating – Google Reviews 20K+ · 4.9★ (184) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #1 1 too high 3 
Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1281)
wp.org #3 4 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #4 5 
Smart User Slug Hider 2K+ · 4.9★ (55)
wp.org #5 6 
kk Star Ratings – Rate Post & Collect User Feedbacks 70K+ · 3.9★ (171)
wp.org #6 ↓1 7 
User Submitted Posts – Enable Users to Submit Posts from the Front End 10K+ · 4.8★ (913)
wp.org #12 5 too low 8 
WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More 5M+ · 4.8★ (14387)
wp.org #14 ↓1 6 too low 9 
Open User Map – Interactive Leaflet Maps 10K+ · 5.0★ (70)
wp.org #9 10 
Rate My Post – Star Rating Plugin by FeedbackWP 20K+ · 4.7★ (159) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #8 ↑3 2 too high 11 Customer Reviews for WooCommerce 80K+ · 4.8★ (1539)
wp.org #20 ↓1 9 too low 12 
All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720)
wp.org #15 3 too low 13 
GD Rating System 1K+ · 4.3★ (24) thin reviews
wp.org #7 ↓1 6 too high 14 
UsersWP – Front-end login form, User Registration, User Profile & Members Directory plugin for WP 20K+ · 4.7★ (183)
wp.org #17 ↓1 3 too low 15 
Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132) not PHP-current
wp.org #19 ↓1 4 too low 16 
UserFeedback – Create Interactive Feedback Form, User Surveys, and Polls in Seconds 200K+ · 4.8★ (309)
wp.org #22 6 too low 17 Paid Membership Plugin, Ecommerce, User Registration Form, Login Form, User Profile & Restrict Content – ProfilePress 100K+ · 3.1★ (938) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #10 ↓3 7 too high 18 
WP User Avatars 20K+ · 4.5★ (29)
wp.org #11 ↓3 7 too high 19 
Ultra Addons for Contact Form 7 60K+ · 4.8★ (107)
wp.org #23 4 too low 20 
Stars Rating 1K+ · 4.7★ (23) thin reviews
wp.org #13 ↓3 7 too high 21 
Like Button Rating ♥ LikeBtn 3K+ · 4.4★ (273) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #21 ↓4 22 
Widgets for Google Reviews and Ratings 3K+ · 4.2★ (10) thin reviews
wp.org #18 ↑5 4 too high 23 
Editorial Rating – Product Review & Rating System 200+ · 4.4★ (13) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #16 ↓2 7 too high 24 
Product Prices by User Roles for WooCommerce 1K+ · 3.4★ (14) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #24 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.