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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “508”

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 “508”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 of the top 20.

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

Web Accessibility Toolkit – Accessibility Checker & ARIA for WCAG, Section 508 & ADA Compliance shows at wp.org #3 but places #13 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 500+ 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.

Buried gem

Happyforms – Form Builder for WordPress: Drag & Drop Contact Forms, Surveys, Payments & Multipurpose Forms places #5 on merit, 4.4★ from 433 reviews, but shows at wp.org #11. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Equalize Digital Accessibility Checker – WCAG, ADA, EAA and Section 508 compliance 10K+ · 4.9★ (80) wp.org #1 2 Accessibility Tools & Alt Text Finder 3K+ · 4.9★ (69) wp.org #4 2 too low 3 Accessibility by UserWay 80K+ · 4.0★ (57) wp.org #5 2 too low 4 Accessibility Tool Kit: WP Accessibility checker plugin for WCAG, Section 508, ADA, EAA Compliance 1K+ · 4.8★ (5) wp.org #2 2 too high 5 Happyforms – Form Builder for WordPress: Drag & Drop Contact Forms, Surveys, Payments & Multipurpose Forms 20K+ · 4.4★ (433) wp.org #11 6 too low 6 Accessibility by AllAccessible 2K+ · 5.0★ (15) wp.org #9 3 too low 7 WP ADA Compliance Check Basic 2K+ · 4.5★ (8) wp.org #6 1 too high 8 Accesibilidad Web con el Widget de AccedeMe 1K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #7 1 too high 9 AI Alt Text Generator 2K+ · 4.9★ (7) wp.org #8 1 too high 10 ImgSEO – AI Image Alt Text Generator & Image SEO Tools 400+ · 5.0★ (10) wp.org #12 2 too low 11 AltTextLab AI Alt Text Generator: Bulk Image Alt Text for SEO & Accessibility 100+ · 5.0★ (9) wp.org #14 3 too low 12 Real Accessibility: Accessibility Widget & Toolbar 1K+ · 4.9★ (7) wp.org #15 ↑1 3 too low 13 Web Accessibility Toolkit – Accessibility Checker & ARIA for WCAG, Section 508 & ADA Compliance 500+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #3 10 too high 14 DJ-Accessibility – Accessibility Plugin 3K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #10 4 too high 15 Accessibility Enabler 300+ · 3.9★ (7) wp.org #16 ↓1 1 too low 16 Filikod – Alt Text Checker & Bulk Image Alt Text Editor 200+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #20 4 too low 17 Accessibility by AudioEye 1K+ · 3.3★ (7) wp.org #13 4 too high 18 WebMax Accessibility for WCAG, Section 508, ADA, EAA Compliance — · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #17 1 too high 19 Smart Alt Manager 100+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #24 5 too low 20 EqualWeb Accessibility 4K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #18 ↑1 2 too high 21 ADA Compliance & Accessibility Checker – WCAG 2.2, Section 508 — · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #22 1 too low 22 Easy Accessibility 200+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 1 too high 23 Accessibility Assistant – Readabler 300+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 24 One Accessibility – WordPress Accessibility Plugin & ADA Compliance Widget 300+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #19 ↓1 5 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.