wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “wordpress lms”

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 lms”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 of the top 20. 4 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

Tutor LMS – Migration Tool shows at wp.org #8 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 1K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 4 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

FileBird – WordPress Media Library Folders & File Manager places #9 on merit, 4.7★ from 1125 reviews, but shows at wp.org #23. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

Masteriyo LMS – LMS Course Builder, Quizzes & Certificates 6K+ · 4.8★ (184) throws errorsnot PHP-currentheavy footprint wp.org #1 ↑1 2

Tutor LMS – eLearning and online course solution 100K+ · 4.4★ (590) heavy footprint wp.org #2 ↓1 3

MasterStudy LMS WordPress Plugin – for Online Courses and Education 10K+ · 4.5★ (487) heavy footprint wp.org #4 1 too low 4

LearnPress – WordPress LMS Plugin for Create and Sell Online Courses 70K+ · 4.3★ (597) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #3 1 too high 5

LifterLMS – WP LMS for eLearning, Online Courses, & Quizzes 10K+ · 4.8★ (393) wp.org #7 2 too low 6

AI Engine – MCP Server & AI Chatbot for WordPress, with Claude, ChatGPT & Gemini 90K+ · 4.9★ (874) wp.org #9 ↑1 3 too low 7

Anti-Spam, Spam FireWall by CleanTalk 200K+ · 4.8★ (3220) wp.org #12 ↑3 5 too low 8

UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8706) wp.org #14 6 too low 9

FileBird – WordPress Media Library Folders & File Manager 200K+ · 4.7★ (1125) wp.org #23 14 too low 10

Bit integrations – Form Integration, Webhook, Spreadsheets, CRM, LMS & Email Automation 20K+ · 4.9★ (160) wp.org #21 11 too low 11

Sensei LMS – Online Courses, Quizzes, & Learning 9K+ · 3.5★ (40) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #5 6 too high 12

Creator LMS – WordPress LMS Plugin for Coaches, Cohorts & Course Creators 100+ · 5.0★ (16) thin reviews wp.org #10 ↓2 2 too high 13

Fox LMS – eLearning & Course Builder 60+ · 5.0★ (19) not PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #13 14

Tutor LMS Elementor Addons 30K+ · 3.5★ (8) thin reviews wp.org #6 8 too high 15

MxChat – AI Chatbot & Content Generation for WordPress 2K+ · 5.0★ (31) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #16 ↑1 1 too low 16

ProfilePress – Paid Membership, Online Courses (LMS), Ecommerce, User Registration & Login Form, User Profile & Restrict Content 100K+ · 3.1★ (938) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #18 2 too low 17

MooWoodle – WordPress Moodle LMS Integration, Sell Moodle Courses via WooCommerce 800+ · 4.3★ (39) wp.org #20 3 too low 18

Tutor LMS – Migration Tool 1K+ · 5.0★ (4) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #8 ↑1 10 too high 19

Lite LMS Progress Tracker by LifterLMS – Simple Course, Membership Site and Content Progress Tracking for WordPress 300+ · 4.7★ (3) thin reviews wp.org #15 ↓3 4 too high 20

Tutor LMS BunnyNet Integration 1K+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews wp.org #11 9 too high 21

Tutor LMS Divi Modules 1K+ · 2.3★ (9) thin reviews wp.org #17 ↓1 4 too high 22

Reviews for Tutor LMS 300+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews wp.org #19 ↓1 3 too high 23

LearnPress – Course Wishlist 10K+ · 3.7★ (3) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #24 ↓2 1 too low 24

LearnPress – Prerequisites Courses 5K+ · 5.0★ (1) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #22 ↓3 2 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.