wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “wordpress share button”
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 share button”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 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
Button Block – Stylish buttons that get more clicks shows at wp.org #12 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 5K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 7 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
WPCode – Insert Headers and Footers + Custom Code Snippets – WordPress Code Manager places #11 on merit, 4.9★ from 1917 reviews, but shows at wp.org #21. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
AddToAny Share Buttons 300K+ · 4.7★ (1114)
wp.org #1 2 
Simple Share Buttons Adder 40K+ · 4.3★ (627)
wp.org #2 3 
Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2144)
wp.org #4 1 too low 4 
Social Share Icons & Social Share Buttons 10K+ · 4.9★ (1911)
wp.org #5 1 too low 5 
WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More 5M+ · 4.8★ (14387)
wp.org #7 2 too low 6 
Hustle – Email Marketing, Lead Generation, Optins, Popups 80K+ · 4.4★ (859)
wp.org #6 7 
Social Share Buttons 1K+ · 4.8★ (28)
wp.org #3 4 too high 8 
Social Media Share Buttons & Social Sharing Icons 100K+ · 4.8★ (5333)
wp.org #13 5 too low 9 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322)
wp.org #11 2 too low 10 
MaxButtons – Create buttons 70K+ · 4.9★ (1093)
wp.org #16 6 too low 11 WPCode – Insert Headers and Footers + Custom Code Snippets – WordPress Code Manager 3M+ · 4.9★ (1917)
wp.org #21 10 too low 12 
Super Web Share – Native Social Sharing Button 2K+ · 4.9★ (29)
wp.org #10 2 too high 13 
Simple Social Media Share Buttons – Social Sharing for Everyone 20K+ · 4.8★ (194)
wp.org #19 6 too low 14 
Independent Analytics – WordPress Analytics Plugin 100K+ · 4.8★ (167)
wp.org #20 6 too low 15 
Burst Statistics – Simple WordPress Analytics (Google Analytics Alternative) 200K+ · 4.9★ (186)
wp.org #22 7 too low 16 
WPZOOM Connect: Social Icons Widget & Block, Share Buttons & Click to Chat 90K+ · 4.9★ (144)
wp.org #24 8 too low 17 
Social Share Button 1K+ · 4.1★ (17) thin reviews
wp.org #8 9 too high 18 
Buttonizer – Floating Menus, Sticky Buttons, & Popup Builder 70K+ · 4.5★ (151)
wp.org #23 5 too low 19 
ShareThis Share Buttons 10K+ · 3.5★ (26)
wp.org #9 10 too high 20 
Genesis Simple Share 10K+ · 4.4★ (33)
wp.org #15 5 too high 21 
Share Buttons & AI-powered Summaries 1K+ · 5.0★ (16) thin reviews
wp.org #14 7 too high 22 
Social Share for WooCommerce 3K+ · 5.0★ (12) thin reviews
wp.org #17 5 too high 23 Button Block – Stylish buttons that get more clicks 5K+ · 5.0★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #12 11 too high 24 
Easy Share Solution For WordPress 900+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #18 6 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.