wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “web”
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 “web”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 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
Catch Web Tools shows at wp.org #7 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 10K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin places #9 on merit, 4.8★ from 8706 reviews, but shows at wp.org #23. 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 2 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #2 3 
Super Page Cache – Cloudflare Cache, Page Speed & Core Web Vitals 70K+ · 4.8★ (517)
wp.org #3 4 
LiteSpeed Cache 7M+ · 4.8★ (2778)
wp.org #4 5 
Super Progressive Web Apps 40K+ · 4.6★ (225)
wp.org #6 1 too low 6 
Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5038) heavy footprint
wp.org #12 6 too low 7 
Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408)
wp.org #10 ↑7 3 too low 8 
WP Fastest Cache – WordPress Cache Plugin 1M+ · 4.9★ (4228)
wp.org #17 ↑5 9 too low 9 UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8706)
wp.org #23 14 too low 10 
Jetpack Boost – Website Speed, Performance and Critical CSS 200K+ · 4.7★ (612)
wp.org #20 10 too low 11 
OneSignal – Web Push Notifications 60K+ · 4.3★ (360) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #11 12 
Web Push Notifications – Webpushr 10K+ · 4.7★ (63) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #8 4 too high 13 
Autoptimize 800K+ · 4.7★ (1428)
wp.org #21 8 too low 14 
Mantenimiento web 20K+ · 5.0★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #5 9 too high 15 
Web-Stat – Live Visitor Analytics 5K+ · 4.4★ (20) thin reviews
wp.org #9 6 too high 16 
Super Web Share – Native Social Sharing Button 2K+ · 4.9★ (29)
wp.org #16 ↑4 17 
Security Optimizer – The All-In-One Protection Plugin 1M+ · 4.5★ (157)
wp.org #22 5 too low 18 
Web Directory plugin Free – AI powered 300+ · 4.1★ (20) thin reviews
wp.org #13 ↓3 5 too high 19 
Quttera ThreatSign – Web Malware Scanner for WordPress 10K+ · 3.9★ (47) not PHP-current
wp.org #19 ↓3 20 Catch Web Tools 10K+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #7 13 too high 21 
Bangla Web Fonts 2K+ · 4.8★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #14 ↓1 7 too high 22 
Web Accessibility (formally known as Ally) – WCAG Scanning, Guided Fixes, Usability Widget 500K+ · 2.9★ (162)
wp.org #24 2 too low 23 
Podlove Web Player 4K+ · 3.7★ (14) thin reviews
wp.org #18 ↓3 5 too high 24 
Web Worker Offloading 10K+ · 3.5★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #15 ↓1 9 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.