wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “weekly reports”
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 “weekly reports”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 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
Metorik – Reports & Email Automation for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #8 but places #16 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 9K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 20 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Post Views Counter places #12 on merit, 4.9★ from 1238 reviews, but shows at wp.org #18. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
WP Mail SMTP by WPForms – SMTP for Reliable Email Delivery with Gmail, Outlook, Amazon SES, Brevo, Other SMTP & More 4M+ · 4.8★ (5209)
wp.org #3 2 too low 2 
UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8708)
wp.org #4 2 too low 3 
WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More 5M+ · 4.8★ (14387)
wp.org #5 2 too low 4 
WP Client Reports 6K+ · 5.0★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #1 3 too high 5 
Sales Report for WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.8★ (12) thin reviews
wp.org #2 3 too high 6 
Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (397)
wp.org #9 3 too low 7 
All-in-One WP Migration and Backup 5M+ · 4.5★ (7676)
wp.org #10 3 too low 8 
YaySMTP – WP Mail SMTP with Email Logs, Tracking & Reports 10K+ · 4.9★ (45)
wp.org #6 2 too high 9 
Post SMTP – Complete Email Delivery and SMTP Solution with Email Logs, Alerts, Backup SMTP & Mobile App 300K+ · 4.7★ (528)
wp.org #11 2 too low 10 
Security Optimizer – The All-In-One Protection Plugin 1M+ · 4.5★ (157)
wp.org #7 3 too high 11 
Independent Analytics – WordPress Analytics Plugin 100K+ · 4.8★ (167)
wp.org #12 1 too low 12 Post Views Counter 100K+ · 4.9★ (1238)
wp.org #18 6 too low 13 
MonsterInsights – Google Analytics Dashboard for WordPress (Website Stats Made Easy) 2M+ · 4.5★ (3157)
wp.org #14 1 too low 14 
Burst Statistics – Simple WordPress Analytics (Google Analytics Alternative) 200K+ · 4.9★ (186)
wp.org #13 1 too high 15 
Simple History – Track, Log, and Audit WordPress Changes 300K+ · 4.9★ (491)
wp.org #17 2 too low 16 Metorik – Reports & Email Automation for WooCommerce 9K+ · 5.0★ (20) thin reviews
wp.org #8 8 too high 17 
WPvivid — Backup, Migration & Staging 900K+ · 4.9★ (1568)
wp.org #22 5 too low 18 
Easy Updates Manager 300K+ · 4.8★ (726)
wp.org #23 5 too low 19 
ManageWP Worker 1M+ · 4.6★ (679)
wp.org #19 20 
Ultra Addons for Contact Form 7 60K+ · 4.8★ (108)
wp.org #20 21 
Ninjalytics: Sales Reports & Order Export for WooCommerce and EDD 6K+ · 4.4★ (57)
wp.org #15 6 too high 22 
Salon Booking System – Appointment Booking for Salons, Barbershops & Spas 2K+ · 4.4★ (187)
wp.org #21 1 too high 23 
CF7 Apps – Addons for Contact Form 7 (Honeypot, Database, Redirection, Webhook, etc.) 300K+ · 3.8★ (135)
wp.org #16 7 too high 24 
SEO Repair Kit – Spam Monitor, Meta Manager, Schema Manager, Internal Linking, SEO Content Monitoring, GSC Integration 2K+ · 5.0★ (6) 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.