wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “website handoff”
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 “website handoff”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 of the top 20. 3 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
Preflight Handoff Audits shows at wp.org #3 but places #11 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 10+ 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.
Kirki – Freeform Page Builder, Website Builder & Customizer 400K+ · 4.5★ (81)
wp.org #1 2 
MxChat – AI Chatbot & Content Generation for WordPress 2K+ · 5.0★ (31) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #2 3 
Easy Social Feed – All In One Social Feed Plugin for WordPress 30K+ · 4.6★ (502)
wp.org #6 ↑1 3 too low 4 
Echo Knowledge Base – Documentation, FAQs, Chat & Smart Search 10K+ · 4.9★ (124)
wp.org #5 ↑3 1 too low 5 
AI Puffer – AI Chatbot & MCP Server for Claude and ChatGPT 10K+ · 4.6★ (166)
wp.org #7 ↑2 2 too low 6 
WPZOOM Connect: Social Icons Widget & Block, Share Buttons & Click to Chat 90K+ · 4.9★ (144)
wp.org #8 ↓4 2 too low 7 
MyLiveChat – Free Live Chat & AI Chatbot 800+ · 4.4★ (27)
wp.org #4 ↑1 3 too high 8 
Simply Static – The Static Site Generator 30K+ · 4.5★ (195)
wp.org #10 ↑1 2 too low 9 
Call Now Button – The Free Click to Call Button for WordPress 200K+ · 4.8★ (102)
wp.org #12 ↑3 3 too low 10 
Consolto Video Chat 200+ · 5.0★ (44) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #18 ↑1 8 too low 11 Preflight Handoff Audits 10+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviewslow rating, top placement
wp.org #3 8 too high 12 
Post Export Import with Media 1K+ · 4.5★ (8) thin reviews
wp.org #22 10 too low 13 
IMsupporting Live Chat & AI Chatbot 40+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #9 ↑1 4 too high 14 
Site Chat on Telegram 100+ · 4.6★ (5) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #13 ↑1 1 too high 15 
Storebird AI Chat for WooCommerce 30+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #20 ↑3 5 too low 16 
Hive Support | AI-Powered Help Desk, Live Chat and Chatbot 30+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #16 ↑2 17 
Treder Client Content Handoff — · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews
wp.org #11 ↑2 6 too high 18 
WP CV Builder 30+ · 4.0★ (3) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #14 ↑7 4 too high 19 
SiteAssure – Website, Form & Checkout Monitoring 10+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews
wp.org #17 2 too high 20 
AskAny – AI Chatbot with RAG, Live Agent and Order Tracking 10+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #15 ↑2 5 too high 21 
Panderr – Website Migration — · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews
wp.org #21 ↑1 22 
Appza builder 10+ · 0.0★ (0) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #19 ↑1 3 too high 23 
Quidget – AI Chatbot & Live Chat 10+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #23 ↑1 24 
Wow Sliders Addons for Elementor 30+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #24 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.