wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “wp generator”

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 “wp generator”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 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

WPS Child Theme Generator shows at wp.org #8 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 16 places. Its 6K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

SEOPress – AI SEO Plugin & On-site SEO places #7 on merit, 4.8★ from 1267 reviews, but shows at wp.org #14. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

XML Sitemap Generator for Google 1M+ · 4.8★ (2233) wp.org #1 ↑1 2

WP Store Locator 40K+ · 4.8★ (312) wp.org #2 ↑2 3

Dynamic XML Sitemaps Generator for Google 20K+ · 4.7★ (47) wp.org #4 ↑1 1 too low 4

Hide My WP Ghost – Security & Firewall 100K+ · 4.5★ (373) wp.org #7 ↑6 3 too low 5

WP Child Theme Generator 20K+ · 4.7★ (19) thin reviews wp.org #3 2 too high 6

WP Recipe Maker 50K+ · 5.0★ (356) heavy footprint wp.org #9 ↓4 3 too low 7

SEOPress – AI SEO Plugin & On-site SEO 300K+ · 4.8★ (1267) wp.org #14 ↓1 7 too low 8

Kaya QR Code Generator 10K+ · 4.4★ (38) wp.org #6 ↑2 2 too high 9

All in One SEO – AI SEO Plugin to Boost SEO Rankings & Traffic (Schema, Local SEO, Sitemap & SEO Insights) 2M+ · 4.7★ (5231) not PHP-currentheavy footprint wp.org #10 1 too low 10

WP-Members Membership Plugin 50K+ · 4.6★ (272) wp.org #12 ↑4 2 too low 11

PDF Generator for WordPress 1K+ · 4.6★ (39) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #5 ↑2 6 too high 12

WP Sitemap Page 200K+ · 4.8★ (205) wp.org #15 ↑2 3 too low 13

WP RSS Aggregator – RSS Import, Feed to Post, Autoblogging, AI Content 40K+ · 4.5★ (565) wp.org #18 5 too low 14

All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720) wp.org #17 ↑2 3 too low 15

Easy Auto SKU Generator for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.9★ (272) wp.org #19 ↑3 4 too low 16

Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ · 4.7★ (1667) wp.org #21 5 too low 17

WP Hide & Security Enhancer 50K+ · 4.3★ (275) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #13 ↑2 4 too high 18

Bulk Page Generator and Mass Page Builder – Page Generator 3K+ · 4.6★ (70) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #11 7 too high 19

Simply Static – The Static Site Generator 30K+ · 4.5★ (195) wp.org #24 ↓1 5 too low 20

WP User Manager – Registration Form, Login Form, User Profile Builder & Member Directory 10K+ · 4.7★ (350) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #23 3 too low 21

Mapster WP Maps 3K+ · 4.9★ (54) heavy footprint wp.org #22 ↓1 1 too low 22

AI Alt Text Generator 2K+ · 4.9★ (7) thin reviews wp.org #16 ↓4 6 too high 23

Sitemap Generator 3K+ · 3.7★ (23) thin reviews wp.org #20 ↑3 3 too high 24

WPS Child Theme Generator 6K+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews wp.org #8 ↑3 16 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.