wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “wordpress download”
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 download”, 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
Easy Media Download shows at wp.org #13 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 8K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.0★ average from 28 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More places #8 on merit, 4.8★ from 14387 reviews, but shows at wp.org #15. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI 10M+ · 4.8★ (27821)
wp.org #1 2 
Download Monitor 80K+ · 4.5★ (525)
wp.org #2 3 
Download Manager 100K+ · 4.1★ (1006)
wp.org #3 ↑1 4 
TablePress – Tables in WordPress made easy 600K+ · 5.0★ (4625)
wp.org #6 ↑2 2 too low 5 
MonsterInsights – Google Analytics Dashboard for WordPress (Website Stats Made Easy) 2M+ · 4.5★ (3157) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #4 ↓1 1 too high 6 
Simple Download Monitor 20K+ · 4.7★ (158)
wp.org #7 1 too low 7 
Easy Digital Downloads – eCommerce Payments and Subscriptions made easy 40K+ · 4.7★ (591)
wp.org #10 ↑1 3 too low 8 WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More 5M+ · 4.8★ (14387)
wp.org #15 ↓1 7 too low 9 
Download Plugin 60K+ · 4.5★ (27)
wp.org #5 4 too high 10 
BackWPup – WordPress Backup & Restore Plugin 400K+ · 4.0★ (1323) not PHP-current
wp.org #9 ↑4 1 too high 11 
WP Fastest Cache – WordPress Cache Plugin 1M+ · 4.9★ (4228)
wp.org #17 ↑2 6 too low 12 
Download Attachments 8K+ · 4.5★ (46)
wp.org #8 ↓2 4 too high 13 
MC4WP: Mailchimp for WordPress 1M+ · 4.8★ (1497)
wp.org #16 3 too low 14 
WPCode – Insert Headers and Footers + Custom Code Snippets – WordPress Code Manager 3M+ · 4.9★ (1915)
wp.org #23 9 too low 15 
Independent Analytics – WordPress Analytics Plugin 100K+ · 4.8★ (167)
wp.org #21 6 too low 16 
Disable All WordPress Updates 20K+ · 4.8★ (69)
wp.org #18 ↑6 2 too low 17 
WP 2FA – Two-factor authentication for WordPress 100K+ · 4.7★ (184)
wp.org #22 5 too low 18 
Download Plugins and Themes in ZIP from Dashboard 30K+ · 4.9★ (27)
wp.org #12 ↓2 6 too high 19 
FancyBox for WordPress 30K+ · 4.6★ (92)
wp.org #19 ↑1 20 
WordPress Importer 2M+ · 3.1★ (327)
wp.org #11 ↓2 9 too high 21 
Simple Download Counter 2K+ · 4.9★ (19) thin reviews
wp.org #14 ↑1 7 too high 22 
Newsletter – Send awesome emails from WordPress 200K+ · 4.6★ (1205) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #24 2 too low 23 Easy Media Download 8K+ · 4.0★ (28)
wp.org #13 ↓1 10 too high 24 
Free Downloads WooCommerce 4K+ · 4.7★ (85) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #20 ↑1 4 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.