wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “vote posts”
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 “vote posts”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 6 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
Crowdsignal Dashboard – Polls, Surveys & more shows at wp.org #13 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 200K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 2.7★ average from 34 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder places #6 on merit, 4.8★ from 2143 reviews, but shows at wp.org #10. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Rate My Post – Star Rating Plugin by FeedbackWP 20K+ · 4.7★ (159) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #1 2 
WP ULike – Like Buttons, Voting & Engagement Analytics 60K+ · 4.8★ (283)
wp.org #2 3 
WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More 5M+ · 4.8★ (14387)
wp.org #3 4 
Customer Reviews for WooCommerce 80K+ · 4.8★ (1539)
wp.org #5 1 too low 5 
kk Star Ratings – Rate Post & Collect User Feedbacks 70K+ · 3.9★ (171)
wp.org #4 1 too high 6 Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2143)
wp.org #10 4 too low 7 
YOP Poll 10K+ · 4.4★ (452)
wp.org #9 2 too low 8 
Contest Gallery – Upload & Vote Photos, Media, Sell with PayPal & Stripe 1K+ · 4.4★ (89)
wp.org #6 2 too high 9 
WP-Polls 40K+ · 4.2★ (136)
wp.org #7 2 too high 10 
WP-PostRatings 20K+ · 4.4★ (178)
wp.org #8 2 too high 11 
WP Recipe Maker 50K+ · 5.0★ (356) heavy footprint
wp.org #12 1 too low 12 
Revive Social – Social Media Auto Post and Scheduling Automation Plugin 20K+ · 4.0★ (556)
wp.org #14 2 too low 13 
Democracy Poll 6K+ · 4.6★ (86)
wp.org #11 2 too high 14 
The Events Calendar 600K+ · 4.2★ (2461)
wp.org #18 4 too low 15 
EWWW Image Optimizer 1M+ · 4.8★ (1842)
wp.org #20 5 too low 16 
TS Poll – Survey, Versus Poll, Image Poll, Video Poll 3K+ · 4.7★ (235) not PHP-current
wp.org #16 17 
Poll Maker by AYS – Versus Polls, Anonymous Polls, Image Polls 6K+ · 4.4★ (91)
wp.org #21 4 too low 18 
Like Button Rating ♥ LikeBtn 3K+ · 4.4★ (273) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #22 4 too low 19 
IdeaPush 700+ · 4.5★ (31) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #17 2 too high 20 
GD Rating System 1K+ · 4.3★ (24) thin reviews
wp.org #24 4 too low 21 Crowdsignal Dashboard – Polls, Surveys & more 200K+ · 2.7★ (34)
wp.org #13 8 too high 22 
Post Engagement – Like Dislike, Share, Views, Star Rating, Favorites & Copy Posts 30+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #19 3 too high 23 
Rate Star Review Vote – AJAX Reviews, Votes, Star Ratings 20+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #15 8 too high 24 
SurveyX Builder – Survey, Poll, Quiz & Feedback Form 2K+ · 5.0★ (3) 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.