wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “wp tool”
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 tool”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 of the top 20. 1 plugin is 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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.
Ranked above its merit
Hostinger Tools shows at wp.org #12 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 3M+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.5★ average from 40 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Smush – Image Optimization, Compression, Lazy Load, WebP & CDN places #11 on merit, 4.8★ from 6053 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.
Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7520)
wp.org #1 2 
WP Mail SMTP by WPForms – SMTP for Reliable Email Delivery with Gmail, Outlook, Amazon SES, Brevo, Other SMTP & More 4M+ · 4.8★ (5209)
wp.org #2 3 
WP STAGING – Backups & Restore, Migration & Clone Plugin – Cloud Backups, Scheduled Backups 100K+ · 4.8★ (2470)
wp.org #3 4 
WP Fastest Cache – WordPress Cache Plugin 1M+ · 4.9★ (4229)
wp.org #4 ↑1 5 
All-in-One WP Migration and Backup 5M+ · 4.5★ (7676)
wp.org #6 ↑1 1 too low 6 
UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8708)
wp.org #7 ↓1 1 too low 7 
WP Super Cache 1M+ · 4.3★ (1346)
wp.org #5 ↓1 2 too high 8 
WP Store Locator 40K+ · 4.8★ (312)
wp.org #9 1 too low 9 
WP Statistics – Simple, privacy-friendly Google Analytics alternative 500K+ · 4.1★ (758)
wp.org #8 1 too high 10 
WP Reset 300K+ · 4.8★ (1014)
wp.org #13 3 too low 11 Smush – Image Optimization, Compression, Lazy Load, WebP & CDN 1M+ · 4.8★ (6053)
wp.org #16 ↑1 5 too low 12 
WP Content Copy Protection & No Right Click 100K+ · 4.8★ (1139)
wp.org #17 ↑2 5 too low 13 
WP Accessibility 60K+ · 4.8★ (68)
wp.org #10 3 too high 14 
WP Activity Log 300K+ · 4.7★ (490)
wp.org #14 ↑1 15 
WP Crontrol 300K+ · 4.4★ (167)
wp.org #11 4 too high 16 
Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) 2M+ · 4.5★ (1440)
wp.org #15 ↓1 1 too high 17 
WP Mail Logging 300K+ · 4.7★ (375)
wp.org #20 ↑1 3 too low 18 
BackWPup – WordPress Backup & Restore Plugin 400K+ · 4.0★ (1323)
wp.org #19 ↓1 1 too low 19 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322)
wp.org #24 5 too low 20 
WP Rollback – Rollback Plugins and Themes 200K+ · 4.9★ (215)
wp.org #21 ↑1 1 too low 21 
WP Umbrella: Security Backup Restore & Monitoring 90K+ · 4.8★ (81)
wp.org #18 ↑2 3 too high 22 
Index WP MySQL For Speed 50K+ · 4.8★ (99)
wp.org #22 ↑1 23 
Advanced Editor Tools 1M+ · 4.5★ (354)
wp.org #23 ↓7 24 Hostinger Tools 3M+ · 3.5★ (40) host-installed base
wp.org #12 12 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.