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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “web component”

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 component”, we agree with wp.org 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

Wawp Country Code & Chat Widget for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #11 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 400+ installs carry it up the search order; its 0.0★ average from 0 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Query Monitor places #12 on merit, 4.9★ from 470 reviews, but shows at wp.org #17. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) wp.org #1 2 UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8706) wp.org #2 3 Anti-Spam, Spam FireWall by CleanTalk 200K+ · 4.8★ (3220) wp.org #6 ↓2 3 too low 4 Web Stories 60K+ · 4.2★ (87) wp.org #3 1 too high 5 Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408) wp.org #4 ↑3 1 too high 6 Spectra Legacy – Gutenberg Blocks 1M+ · 4.7★ (1872) wp.org #5 1 too high 7 Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423) wp.org #7 ↓1 8 Hummingbird Performance – Cache & Page Speed Optimization for Core Web Vitals | Critical CSS | Minify CSS | Defer CSS Javascript | CDN 70K+ · 4.7★ (1488) wp.org #10 2 too low 9 WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance 1M+ · 4.8★ (2617) wp.org #12 ↑2 3 too low 10 Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (397) wp.org #14 ↑3 4 too low 11 Post and Page Builder by BoldGrid – Visual Drag and Drop Editor 50K+ · 4.7★ (140) wp.org #13 2 too low 12 Query Monitor 200K+ · 4.9★ (470) wp.org #17 ↓5 5 too low 13 10Web Booster – Website speed optimization, Cache & Page Speed optimizer 60K+ · 4.6★ (405) wp.org #24 ↓1 11 too low 14 Web Accessibility (formally known as Ally) – WCAG Scanning, Guided Fixes, Usability Widget 500K+ · 2.9★ (162) wp.org #8 6 too high 15 INDIGITALL – Instant Chat, Web Push Notifications 90+ · 4.8★ (12) wp.org #9 6 too high 16 WPVulnerability 10K+ · 5.0★ (20) wp.org #19 3 too low 17 Crypto Converter ⚡ Widget 1K+ · 4.6★ (24) wp.org #20 3 too low 18 Patchstack – WordPress & Plugins Security 100K+ · 4.9★ (61) wp.org #23 ↑1 5 too low 19 Xpro Theme Builder For Elementor – FREE 20K+ · 5.0★ (14) wp.org #22 3 too low 20 Embed Lottie Player – bring your pages to life with animation 4K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #16 4 too high 21 Successful Redirection for Contact Form 10K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #21 22 S Snow Fall 60+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #18 4 too high 23 Wawp Country Code & Chat Widget for WooCommerce 400+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #11 12 too high 24 Jooosi Icon – Modern SVG icon library for WordPress 200+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #15 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.