wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “wp query”
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 query”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 4 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
WP Remove Query Strings From Static Resources shows at wp.org #16 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 3K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 5 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Query Monitor 200K+ · 4.9★ (470)
wp.org #1 2 
WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance 1M+ · 4.8★ (2617)
wp.org #2 3 
WP Fastest Cache – WordPress Cache Plugin 1M+ · 4.9★ (4228)
wp.org #3 ↑3 4 
UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8706)
wp.org #5 ↓2 1 too low 5 
WP Super Cache 1M+ · 4.3★ (1346)
wp.org #4 ↑3 1 too high 6 
WP Statistics – Simple, privacy-friendly Google Analytics alternative 500K+ · 4.1★ (759)
wp.org #6 ↑7 7 
WP Store Locator 40K+ · 4.8★ (312)
wp.org #8 1 too low 8 
WP 2FA – Two-factor authentication for WordPress 100K+ · 4.7★ (184)
wp.org #7 ↑5 1 too high 9 
All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720)
wp.org #11 ↓1 2 too low 10 
Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) 2M+ · 4.5★ (1440) heavy footprint
wp.org #9 ↑7 1 too high 11 
WP Crontrol 300K+ · 4.4★ (167)
wp.org #10 ↓1 1 too high 12 
WP Data Access – App Builder for Tables, Forms, Dashboards, Charts & Maps 10K+ · 4.9★ (88)
wp.org #12 ↑8 13 
FluentSMTP – WP Mail SMTP Plugin with Amazon SES, SendGrid, Mailgun, Postmark, Cloudflare, toSend, Gmail and Any SMTP 700K+ · 4.8★ (410)
wp.org #13 ↓2 14 
Smush – Image Optimization, Compression, Lazy Load, WebP & CDN 1M+ · 4.8★ (6053)
wp.org #19 5 too low 15 
Hide My WP Ghost – Security & Firewall 100K+ · 4.5★ (373)
wp.org #17 2 too low 16 
WP-PageNavi 400K+ · 4.7★ (149)
wp.org #14 ↓10 2 too high 17 
Super Page Cache – Cloudflare Cache, Page Speed & Core Web Vitals 70K+ · 4.8★ (517)
wp.org #21 4 too low 18 
BackWPup – WordPress Backup & Restore Plugin 400K+ · 4.0★ (1323) not PHP-current
wp.org #15 ↑6 3 too high 19 
WP-Sweep 100K+ · 4.7★ (138)
wp.org #20 ↓3 1 too low 20 
WP Job Manager 70K+ · 4.4★ (237)
wp.org #22 2 too low 21 
Index WP MySQL For Speed 50K+ · 4.8★ (99) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #18 3 too high 22 
Schema & Structured Data for WP & AMP 100K+ · 4.5★ (252) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #24 ↓9 2 too low 23 
WP Migrate Lite – Migration Made Easy 200K+ · 4.2★ (318) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #23 ↓1 24 WP Remove Query Strings From Static Resources 3K+ · 5.0★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #16 ↓2 8 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.