wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “x”
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 “x”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 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 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
Jupiter X Core shows at wp.org #4 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 20 places. Its 70K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 1.9★ average from 9 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
SEOPress – AI SEO Plugin & On-site SEO places #10 on merit, 4.8★ from 1267 reviews, but shows at wp.org #18. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) 3M+ · 4.9★ (8869)
wp.org #1 2 
TablePress – Tables in WordPress made easy 600K+ · 5.0★ (4625)
wp.org #3 1 too low 3 
Custom Twitter Feeds – A Tweets Widget or X Feed Widget 100K+ · 4.8★ (401)
wp.org #5 2 too low 4 
Widgets for Google Reviews 1M+ · 4.9★ (2667)
wp.org #8 4 too low 5 
X-Currency – The Ultimate WooCommerce currency switcher for a smoother shopping experience 1K+ · 4.6★ (20) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #2 3 too high 6 
Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI 10M+ · 4.8★ (27821)
wp.org #12 6 too low 7 
Coupon X – Discount Popups, Promo Codes Pop Ups for WooCommerce & Announcement Popups 1K+ · 4.9★ (52)
wp.org #6 1 too high 8 
Nextend Social Login and Register 200K+ · 4.9★ (446)
wp.org #11 3 too low 9 
Contact Form X 300+ · 5.0★ (32)
wp.org #7 2 too high 10 SEOPress – AI SEO Plugin & On-site SEO 300K+ · 4.8★ (1267)
wp.org #18 8 too low 11 
Spectra Legacy – Gutenberg Blocks 1M+ · 4.7★ (1872) heavy footprint
wp.org #15 4 too low 12 
PDF Invoices & Packing Slips for WooCommerce 300K+ · 5.0★ (1865) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #17 5 too low 13 
Under Construction 600K+ · 4.8★ (1285)
wp.org #23 10 too low 14 
Loginizer 1M+ · 4.8★ (1033) not PHP-current
wp.org #16 2 too low 15 
Better Click To Share – Shareable Quote Boxes for X (Twitter) 6K+ · 4.8★ (48)
wp.org #13 2 too high 16 
Easy Social Feed – All In One Social Feed Plugin for WordPress 30K+ · 4.6★ (502)
wp.org #24 8 too low 17 
Duplicate Page 3M+ · 4.8★ (466)
wp.org #19 2 too low 18 
Social Preview and Open Graph Tags 50K+ · 4.6★ (122)
wp.org #21 3 too low 19 
Portfolio X 100+ · 5.0★ (8) thin reviews
wp.org #10 9 too high 20 
Autopost for X (formerly Autoshare for Twitter) 5K+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #9 11 too high 21 
Metricool – Social media and site statistics 90K+ · 4.4★ (22) thin reviews
wp.org #20 1 too high 22 
Product Catalog Simple 1K+ · 4.5★ (13) thin reviews
wp.org #22 23 
X-Scroll To Top – Responsive 200+ · 4.1★ (8) thin reviews
wp.org #14 9 too high 24 Jupiter X Core 70K+ · 1.9★ (9) thin reviewslow rating, top placement
wp.org #4 20 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.