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

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 version”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 of the top 20. 2 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

PHP Version shows at wp.org #6 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 18 places. Its 6K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

WP Fastest Cache – WordPress Cache Plugin places #11 on merit, 4.9★ from 4228 reviews, but shows at wp.org #16. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI 10M+ · 4.8★ (27821) wp.org #1 2

Translate WordPress with GTranslate 900K+ · 4.9★ (4962) wp.org #2 3

TablePress – Tables in WordPress made easy 600K+ · 5.0★ (4625) wp.org #4 1 too low 4

Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2143) wp.org #5 1 too low 5

MonsterInsights – Google Analytics Dashboard for WordPress (Website Stats Made Easy) 2M+ · 4.5★ (3157) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #3 2 too high 6

Hustle – Email Marketing, Lead Generation, Optins, Popups 80K+ · 4.4★ (859) wp.org #8 2 too low 7

WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More 5M+ · 4.8★ (14387) wp.org #10 3 too low 8

BackWPup – WordPress Backup & Restore Plugin 400K+ · 4.0★ (1323) not PHP-current wp.org #7 1 too high 9

Beaver Builder Page Builder – Drag and Drop Website Builder 100K+ · 4.7★ (394) wp.org #13 ↑4 4 too low 10

WP Downgrade | Specific Core Version 100K+ · 4.8★ (169) wp.org #12 ↑2 2 too low 11

WP Fastest Cache – WordPress Cache Plugin 1M+ · 4.9★ (4228) wp.org #16 5 too low 12

Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) heavy footprint wp.org #14 ↓2 2 too low 13

Disable All WordPress Updates 20K+ · 4.8★ (69) wp.org #11 2 too high 14

Burst Statistics – Simple WordPress Analytics (Google Analytics Alternative) 200K+ · 4.9★ (186) wp.org #17 ↑2 3 too low 15

Independent Analytics – WordPress Analytics Plugin 100K+ · 4.8★ (167) wp.org #18 3 too low 16

Version Info – Server Health Monitor, PHP & MySQL Version Display, Environment Indicators 10K+ · 5.0★ (15) thin reviews wp.org #9 7 too high 17

WP 2FA – Two-factor authentication for WordPress 100K+ · 4.7★ (184) wp.org #19 ↑3 2 too low 18

GTM4WP – A Google Tag Manager (GTM) plugin for WordPress 700K+ · 4.5★ (155) wp.org #15 ↓2 3 too high 19

FG Joomla to WordPress 7K+ · 4.7★ (336) wp.org #23 3 too low 21

MC4WP: Mailchimp for WordPress 1M+ · 4.8★ (1497) wp.org #24 ↓3 3 too low 22

FancyBox for WordPress 30K+ · 4.6★ (92) wp.org #20 ↓2 2 too high 23

Easy MCP AI – Connect Claude to WordPress: MCP Server for ChatGPT & AI Agents 30K+ · 4.9★ (16) thin reviews wp.org #22 1 too high 24

PHP Version 6K+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews wp.org #6 18 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.