wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “wordpress capabilities”
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 “wordpress capabilities”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.
Ranked above its merit
GoSMTP – SMTP for WordPress shows at wp.org #16 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 500K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.3★ average from 10 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
BackWPup – WordPress Backup & Restore Plugin 400K+ · 4.0★ (1323)
wp.org #1 2 
Hustle – Email Marketing, Lead Generation, Optins, Popups 80K+ · 4.4★ (859)
wp.org #2 3 
WP 2FA – Two-factor authentication for WordPress 100K+ · 4.7★ (184)
wp.org #3 ↑10 4 
WP Fastest Cache – WordPress Cache Plugin 1M+ · 4.9★ (4229)
wp.org #7 ↑5 3 too low 5 
PublishPress Capabilities: User Role Access Control, Admin Area Permissions 90K+ · 4.7★ (143)
wp.org #5 ↓2 6 
WPVibe – MCP Server for WordPress, works with Claude, ChatGPT & other AI MCP agents 100K+ · 5.0★ (199)
wp.org #6 ↑1 7 
Newsletter – Send awesome emails from WordPress 200K+ · 4.6★ (1205)
wp.org #9 ↑12 2 too low 8 
AI Engine – MCP Server & AI Chatbot for WordPress, with Claude, ChatGPT & Gemini 90K+ · 4.9★ (874)
wp.org #11 ↓3 3 too low 9 
Filter Everything — WordPress & WooCommerce Filters 50K+ · 4.6★ (154)
wp.org #8 ↓4 1 too high 10 
Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1281)
wp.org #12 ↓7 2 too low 11 
Easy MCP AI – Connect Claude to WordPress: MCP Server for ChatGPT & AI Agents 30K+ · 4.9★ (16) thin reviews
wp.org #4 ↑6 7 too high 12 
Burst Statistics – Simple WordPress Analytics (Google Analytics Alternative) 200K+ · 4.9★ (186)
wp.org #10 2 too high 13 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322)
wp.org #13 ↓4 14 
MainWP Dashboard: Self-hosted WordPress Management for Agencies 20K+ · 4.9★ (2354)
wp.org #24 10 too low 15 
Translate WordPress – Google Language Translator 100K+ · 4.7★ (620)
wp.org #19 ↑3 4 too low 16 
Calculated Fields Form – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact, Payment, Quote, Quiz & More 40K+ · 4.9★ (973)
wp.org #22 ↓11 6 too low 17 
Redirection 2M+ · 4.4★ (703)
wp.org #15 ↑2 2 too high 18 
FancyBox for WordPress 30K+ · 4.6★ (92)
wp.org #14 ↓8 4 too high 19 
Access Governance for WordPress (aka AAM) 100K+ · 4.2★ (420)
wp.org #20 ↓4 1 too low 20 
User Role Editor 700K+ · 4.5★ (288)
wp.org #23 ↓3 3 too low 21 
MxChat – AI Chatbot & Content Generation for WordPress 2K+ · 5.0★ (31)
wp.org #18 ↓3 3 too high 22 
Hide Admin Bar Based on User Roles – Disable the WordPress Toolbar by Role or Capability 20K+ · 3.9★ (20) thin reviews
wp.org #17 ↓3 5 too high 23 
User Role by BestWebSoft – Add and Customize Roles and Capabilities in WordPress 3K+ · 3.6★ (12) thin reviews
wp.org #21 ↓3 2 too high 24 GoSMTP – SMTP for WordPress 500K+ · 4.3★ (10) host-installed base thin reviews
wp.org #16 8 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.