wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “4.4.11”

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 “4.4.11”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 3 of the top 17.

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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.

Ranked above its merit

Smoove connector for Elementor forms shows at wp.org #1 but places #8 on merit, a gap of 7 places. Its 600+ 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.

merit plugin signals wp.org

EmbedPress 100K+ · 4.8★ (307) wp.org #3 2 too low 2

Redux Framework 900K+ · 4.4★ (273) wp.org #2 3

LearnPress – WordPress LMS Plugin for Create and Sell Online Courses 70K+ · 4.3★ (597) wp.org #4 1 too low 4

Image Widget 100K+ · 4.9★ (287) wp.org #5 1 too low 5

Prime Slider – Hero Slider, Carousel, WooCommerce & Post Slider Elementor Addons 100K+ · 4.5★ (82) wp.org #6 1 too low 6

WowStore – Store Builder & Product Blocks for WooCommerce 4K+ · 4.6★ (113) wp.org #7 1 too low 7

WpStream – Live Streaming, Video on Demand, Pay Per View 3K+ · 4.8★ (78) wp.org #9 2 too low 8

Smoove connector for Elementor forms 600+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviewslow rating, top placement wp.org #1 7 too high 9

Paytium: Mollie payment forms & donations 2K+ · 4.5★ (64) wp.org #12 3 too low 10

AppPresser – Mobile App Framework 900+ · 3.7★ (53) wp.org #10 11

Church Admin 900+ · 4.7★ (17) thin reviews wp.org #11 12

Syndication Links 300+ · 5.0★ (5) thin reviews wp.org #13 1 too low 13

Janolaw AGB Hosting 1K+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews wp.org #8 5 too high 14

AnnunciFunebri 100+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews wp.org #14 1 too high 16

MantaWeb Consent Shield – Cookie Consent Banner & Real Cookie Blocker (GDPR, CCPA, Tikun 13) 30+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews wp.org #15 1 too high 17

ASD Feature Maps — · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviews wp.org #17

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.