wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “web space”
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 space”, 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
Money Space shows at wp.org #6 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 18 places. Its 70+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
WP Fastest Cache – WordPress Cache Plugin places #6 on merit, 4.9★ from 4228 reviews, but shows at wp.org #12. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
PNG to JPG 10K+ · 4.7★ (40)
wp.org #1 ↑11 2 
WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance 1M+ · 4.8★ (2617)
wp.org #4 2 too low 3 
OneSignal – Web Push Notifications 60K+ · 4.3★ (360) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #3 ↓1 4 
Web Directory plugin Free – AI powered 300+ · 4.1★ (20) thin reviews
wp.org #2 ↓1 2 too high 5 
BackWPup – WordPress Backup & Restore Plugin 400K+ · 4.0★ (1323) not PHP-current
wp.org #5 6 WP Fastest Cache – WordPress Cache Plugin 1M+ · 4.9★ (4228)
wp.org #12 ↓1 6 too low 7 
Duplicator – Backups & Migration Plugin – Cloud Backups, Scheduled Backups, & More 1M+ · 4.9★ (4940) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #8 ↓1 1 too low 8 
UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8706)
wp.org #14 6 too low 9 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #9 ↓1 10 
Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5038) heavy footprint
wp.org #11 ↓2 1 too low 11 
Advanced Media Offloader – Offload Media to Amazon S3, Cloudflare R2, DigitalOcean Spaces & More 7K+ · 4.7★ (48)
wp.org #7 ↓4 4 too high 12 
Kadence Blocks — Page Builder Toolkit for Gutenberg Editor 600K+ · 4.8★ (333) heavy footprint
wp.org #10 2 too high 13 
Anti-Spam, Spam FireWall by CleanTalk 200K+ · 4.8★ (3220)
wp.org #21 ↓1 8 too low 14 
EWWW Image Optimizer 1M+ · 4.8★ (1842)
wp.org #16 ↑1 2 too low 15 
Folders – Unlimited Folders to Organize Media Library Folder, Pages, Posts, File Manager 90K+ · 5.0★ (1525)
wp.org #23 8 too low 16 
W3 Total Cache 900K+ · 4.4★ (5420)
wp.org #18 ↑1 2 too low 17 
WP Super Cache 1M+ · 4.3★ (1346)
wp.org #15 ↑6 2 too high 18 
WP Visitor Statistics (Real Time Traffic) 20K+ · 4.5★ (156)
wp.org #17 ↓1 1 too high 19 
NitroPack – Performance, Page Speed & Cache Plugin for Core Web Vitals, CDN & Image Optimization 90K+ · 4.3★ (311)
wp.org #19 ↓1 20 
WP Offload Media Lite for Amazon S3, DigitalOcean Spaces, and Google Cloud Storage 30K+ · 3.7★ (115)
wp.org #13 7 too high 21 
Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132) not PHP-current
wp.org #22 1 too low 22 
wp-Typography 10K+ · 4.6★ (71)
wp.org #24 2 too low 23 
Easy Optimizer – PageSpeed, Cache & Core Web Vitals (Unused CSS, Delay JS, Lazy Load) 1K+ · 4.6★ (18) thin reviews
wp.org #20 ↓5 3 too high 24 Money Space 70+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #6 18 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.