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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “4.3”

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 “4.3”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 5 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

Remove layout destroying HTML-Tags shows at wp.org #9 but places #16 on merit, a gap of 7 places. Its 100+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Language Fallback 5K+ · 4.8★ (23) wp.org #1 2 Controls for Contact Form 7 (Redirects, Analytics & Tracking) 10K+ · 5.0★ (13) wp.org #2 3 The Plus Addons for Elementor – Mega Menu, Header Footer, Post Grid, AI Widgets & Templates 100K+ · 4.6★ (388) wp.org #6 3 too low 4 XPoster – Share to Bluesky and Mastodon 10K+ · 3.8★ (69) wp.org #4 5 Keep Emoticons as Text 700+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #3 2 too high 6 MxChat – AI Chatbot & Content Generation for WordPress 2K+ · 5.0★ (31) wp.org #5 1 too high 7 No Page Comment 10K+ · 5.0★ (22) wp.org #7 8 ReCaptcha Integration for WordPress 9K+ · 4.4★ (95) wp.org #10 2 too low 9 Easy Bootstrap Shortcode 6K+ · 4.0★ (50) wp.org #8 1 too high 10 T Trackserver 400+ · 5.0★ (19) wp.org #13 3 too low 11 Taggbox: Social Media Feed Widget 1K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #11 12 Limb AI Chatbot 100+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #12 13 WP MyLinks 1K+ · 4.0★ (14) wp.org #14 1 too low 14 UK Address Postcode Validation 700+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #16 2 too low 15 AI Featured Image 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #15 16 Remove layout destroying HTML-Tags 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #9 7 too high 17 BaseCloud UTM Tracker 90+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #19 2 too low 18 Simple Star Rating Block 70+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 1 too high 19 M MJP Security Tools 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 3 too low 20 Limited Admin Role By HEMDOX Digital 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #24 4 too low 21 Payment Integration Wompi – El Salvador 800+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 2 too low 22 Monek Checkout 40+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #18 4 too high 23 bizExaminer LearnDash Extension 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #21 2 too high 24 SEUR Oficial 1K+ · 1.0★ (2) 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.