There are two things that are useful indicators of whether a plugin is worthwhile.
1/ Author
2/ Active installs

Author tells us instantly if it's someone known & with a reputation i.e speaks of the plugins credibility.

Installs may not be an indication that a plugin is good but then again active installs must stand for something; again like the author attribution it's a yardstick.

Sorting through plugins can be a pita for both devs and users, the 'design' of a screen listing them needs to focus on not what looks cool but on how best to convey as much info as possible not how best to hide it.