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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “2.7”

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 “2.7”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 17 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

Visitor Management System – Office Visitor Check-In Logbook shows at wp.org #6 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 15 places. Its 10+ installs carry it up the search order; its 0.0★ average from 0 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Folders – Unlimited Folders to Organize Media Library Folder, Pages, Posts, File Manager places #5 on merit, 5.0★ from 1526 reviews, but shows at wp.org #23. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 W WP-dTree 2K+ · 4.8★ (25) wp.org #1 2 GoDaddy Payments for WooCommerce 2K+ · 4.3★ (6) wp.org #2 3 XML Sitemap Generator for Google 1M+ · 4.8★ (2233) wp.org #14 11 too low 4 Pods – Custom Content Types and Fields 100K+ · 4.8★ (418) wp.org #16 12 too low 5 Folders – Unlimited Folders to Organize Media Library Folder, Pages, Posts, File Manager 90K+ · 5.0★ (1526) wp.org #23 18 too low 6 Duplicate Page 3M+ · 4.8★ (466) wp.org #15 9 too low 7 Reveal IDs 40K+ · 5.0★ (61) wp.org #17 10 too low 8 A Adminimize 100K+ · 4.7★ (254) wp.org #24 16 too low 9 Advanced Editor Tools 1M+ · 4.5★ (354) wp.org #20 11 too low 10 Post Engagement – Like Dislike, Share, Views, Star Rating, Favorites & Copy Posts 30+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #4 6 too high 11 Gravity Forms Zero Spam 100K+ · 4.3★ (24) wp.org #19 8 too low 12 Seraphinite Bulk Discounts for WooCommerce 20+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #10 2 too high 13 WP SVG Images 30K+ · 5.0★ (13) wp.org #21 8 too low 14 xili-tidy-tags 1K+ · 4.5★ (8) wp.org #9 5 too high 15 Wash Care Symbols for WooCommerce 100+ · 4.9★ (8) wp.org #18 3 too low 16 GF IR Mobile add-on 80+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #3 13 too high 17 Newsroom OS – Google Discover, Google News, Schema & Editorial Workflow 40+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #5 12 too high 18 NO admin premium NAGS 100+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #12 6 too high 19 Better Share Buttons 30+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #7 12 too high 20 Form Styler for Gravity Forms and Elementor 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #8 12 too high 21 Visitor Management System – Office Visitor Check-In Logbook 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #6 15 too high 22 PictureBook 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #11 11 too high 23 SaveTheDate for Gravity Forms — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #13 10 too high 24 Cron Monitor — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 2 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.