wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “you rather”
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 “you rather”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 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
Custom Thank You for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #3 but places #15 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 300+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.3★ average from 6 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
AI Engine – MCP Server & AI Chatbot for WordPress, with Claude, ChatGPT & Gemini places #12 on merit, 4.9★ from 874 reviews, but shows at wp.org #17. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
FluentSMTP – WP Mail SMTP Plugin with Amazon SES, SendGrid, Mailgun, Postmark, Cloudflare, toSend, Gmail and Any SMTP 700K+ · 4.8★ (410)
wp.org #1 2 
Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI 10M+ · 4.8★ (27821)
wp.org #2 3 
WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance 1M+ · 4.8★ (2617)
wp.org #4 ↑1 1 too low 4 
WPCode – Insert Headers and Footers + Custom Code Snippets – WordPress Code Manager 3M+ · 4.9★ (1916)
wp.org #5 ↑3 1 too low 5 
Starter Templates: AI-Powered Website Templates for Elementor & Gutenberg 1M+ · 4.9★ (4755)
wp.org #7 ↓1 2 too low 6 
Easy Table of Contents 600K+ · 4.4★ (221)
wp.org #6 ↓2 7 
Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) heavy footprint
wp.org #9 ↑3 2 too low 8 
WPVibe – MCP Server for WordPress, works with Claude, ChatGPT & other AI MCP agents 100K+ · 5.0★ (199)
wp.org #11 ↓2 3 too low 9 
Slider, Gallery, and Carousel by MetaSlider – Image Slider, Video Slider 500K+ · 4.6★ (743)
wp.org #12 3 too low 10 
Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (397)
wp.org #13 ↑1 3 too low 11 
WP-PostRatings 20K+ · 4.4★ (178)
wp.org #10 1 too high 12 AI Engine – MCP Server & AI Chatbot for WordPress, with Claude, ChatGPT & Gemini 90K+ · 4.9★ (874)
wp.org #17 5 too low 13 
Ninja Forms – Contact Form Builder with Calculators, Quizzes, Signatures & AI Form Builder 500K+ · 4.4★ (1397)
wp.org #14 ↓1 1 too low 14 
Simple Yearly Archive 6K+ · 4.7★ (30)
wp.org #8 ↓1 6 too high 15 Custom Thank You for WooCommerce 300+ · 4.3★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #3 12 too high 16 
Spotlight Social Photo Feed 50K+ · 4.7★ (171)
wp.org #18 ↓3 2 too low 17 
Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (588)
wp.org #22 ↑1 5 too low 18 
Events Manager – Calendar, Bookings, Tickets, Appointments and more! 60K+ · 4.2★ (551) not PHP-current
wp.org #15 ↓4 3 too high 19 
Cart Abandonment Recovery for WooCommerce – Recover Lost Sales with Automated Emails 300K+ · 4.8★ (626) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #16 ↑5 3 too high 20 
Front End PM 4K+ · 4.8★ (220)
wp.org #24 4 too low 21 
WP-DBManager 50K+ · 4.4★ (95)
wp.org #19 ↓3 2 too high 22 
Disable All WordPress Updates 20K+ · 4.8★ (69)
wp.org #21 ↑1 1 too high 23 
Custom Permalinks 100K+ · 4.1★ (116)
wp.org #23 24 
Disable Comments 100K+ · 3.8★ (25)
wp.org #20 4 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.