wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “web support”
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 support”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 of the top 20.
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 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 #21 on merit, a gap of 14 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
Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI places #8 on merit, 4.8★ from 27821 reviews, but shows at wp.org #19. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
SVG Support 1M+ · 4.8★ (356)
wp.org #1 2 
LiteSpeed Cache 7M+ · 4.8★ (2778)
wp.org #2 ↓1 3 
Super Page Cache – Cloudflare Cache, Page Speed & Core Web Vitals 70K+ · 4.8★ (517)
wp.org #4 ↑2 1 too low 4 
Super Progressive Web Apps 40K+ · 4.6★ (225)
wp.org #6 ↓2 2 too low 5 
Site Kit by Google – Analytics, Search Console, AdSense, Speed 5M+ · 4.2★ (1012)
wp.org #5 ↓1 6 
Majestic Support – The Leading-Edge Help Desk & Customer Support Plugin 3K+ · 5.0★ (8) thin reviews
wp.org #3 ↓1 3 too high 7 
Chatway Live Chat – AI Chatbot, Customer Support, FAQ & Helpdesk Customer Service & Chat Buttons 30K+ · 5.0★ (775)
wp.org #15 ↓3 8 too low 8 Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI 10M+ · 4.8★ (27821)
wp.org #19 11 too low 9 
OneSignal – Web Push Notifications 60K+ · 4.3★ (360)
wp.org #13 ↓2 4 too low 10 
Awesome Support – WordPress HelpDesk & Support Plugin 6K+ · 3.5★ (194)
wp.org #8 ↓3 2 too high 11 
Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408)
wp.org #12 ↑3 1 too low 12 
Widgets for Google Reviews 1M+ · 4.9★ (2667)
wp.org #18 6 too low 13 
Web Push Notifications – Webpushr 10K+ · 4.7★ (63)
wp.org #11 ↓1 2 too high 14 
Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039)
wp.org #20 ↓3 6 too low 15 
3CX Free Live Chat, Calls & Messaging 100K+ · 4.6★ (820)
wp.org #21 ↓3 6 too low 16 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322)
wp.org #22 6 too low 17 
Web-Stat – Live Visitor Analytics 5K+ · 4.4★ (20) thin reviews
wp.org #9 ↓1 8 too high 18 
Super Web Share – Native Social Sharing Button 2K+ · 4.9★ (29)
wp.org #14 ↓1 4 too high 19 
Quttera ThreatSign – Web Malware Scanner for WordPress 10K+ · 3.9★ (47)
wp.org #17 ↓1 2 too high 20 
Web Stories 60K+ · 4.2★ (87)
wp.org #24 ↓4 4 too low 21 Catch Web Tools 10K+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #7 ↓1 14 too high 22 
Podlove Web Player 4K+ · 3.7★ (14) thin reviews
wp.org #16 ↓2 6 too high 23 
SendPulse Free Web Push 500+ · 5.0★ (9) thin reviews
wp.org #23 ↓2 24 
HEIC Support 4K+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #10 ↓1 14 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.