wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “wordpress manager”
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 manager”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 6 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
FAZ Cookie Manager shows at wp.org #17 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 6 places. Its 3K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 30 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI 10M+ · 4.8★ (27821)
wp.org #1 2 
GTM4WP – A Google Tag Manager (GTM) plugin for WordPress 700K+ · 4.5★ (155)
wp.org #2 3 
Events Manager – Calendar, Bookings, Tickets, Appointments and more! 60K+ · 4.2★ (551) not PHP-current
wp.org #3 ↑1 4 
Advanced File Manager – Ultimate File Manager for WordPress And Document Library Solution 100K+ · 4.8★ (441)
wp.org #5 1 too low 5 
File Manager 1M+ · 4.6★ (1492)
wp.org #6 1 too low 6 
MonsterInsights – Google Analytics Dashboard for WordPress (Website Stats Made Easy) 2M+ · 4.5★ (3157) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #4 ↓1 2 too high 7 
Download Manager 100K+ · 4.1★ (1006)
wp.org #7 8 
Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2143)
wp.org #10 2 too low 9 
WPCode – Insert Headers and Footers + Custom Code Snippets – WordPress Code Manager 3M+ · 4.9★ (1915)
wp.org #9 ↓1 10 
Site Kit by Google – Analytics, Search Console, AdSense, Speed 5M+ · 4.2★ (1012)
wp.org #8 ↑1 2 too high 11 
WP Job Manager 70K+ · 4.4★ (237)
wp.org #11 12 
Advanced Ads – Ad Manager & AdSense 90K+ · 4.9★ (1463) not PHP-current
wp.org #14 2 too low 13 
FileBird – WordPress Media Library Folders & File Manager 200K+ · 4.7★ (1125)
wp.org #19 ↑5 6 too low 14 
Checkout Field Manager (Checkout Manager) for WooCommerce 80K+ · 4.5★ (784)
wp.org #18 ↓3 4 too low 15 
Permalink Manager Lite 100K+ · 4.8★ (176)
wp.org #15 ↓2 16 
WP Event Manager – Events Calendar, Registrations, Sell Tickets with WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.0★ (249)
wp.org #13 ↓1 3 too high 17 
BackWPup – WordPress Backup & Restore Plugin 400K+ · 4.0★ (1323) not PHP-current
wp.org #12 ↑7 5 too high 18 
Header Footer Code Manager 600K+ · 4.9★ (309) not PHP-current
wp.org #16 ↓2 2 too high 19 
MC4WP: Mailchimp for WordPress 1M+ · 4.8★ (1497)
wp.org #24 5 too low 20 
File Manager Pro – Filester 100K+ · 4.9★ (155)
wp.org #23 3 too low 21 
File Manager 10K+ · 4.3★ (202)
wp.org #22 1 too low 22 
Newsletter – Send awesome emails from WordPress 200K+ · 4.6★ (1205) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #21 1 too high 23 FAZ Cookie Manager 3K+ · 5.0★ (30)
wp.org #17 ↓1 6 too high 24 
FileOrganizer – WordPress File Manager 200K+ · 4.8★ (49)
wp.org #20 ↓2 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.