Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

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

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 “academy”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 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

Academy Starter Templates shows at wp.org #8 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 16 places. Its 300+ installs carry it up the search order; its 1.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

LifterLMS – WP LMS for eLearning, Online Courses, & Quizzes places #7 on merit, 4.8★ from 393 reviews, but shows at wp.org #19. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI 10M+ · 4.8★ (27821) wp.org #1 2 Clone 40K+ · 4.1★ (339) wp.org #4 2 too low 3 Masteriyo LMS – LMS Course Builder, Quizzes & Certificates 6K+ · 4.8★ (184) wp.org #3 4 Cloudinary – Deliver Images and Videos at Scale 5K+ · 4.0★ (64) wp.org #5 1 too low 5 Tutor LMS – eLearning and online course solution 100K+ · 4.4★ (590) wp.org #12 ↓5 7 too low 6 ProfilePress – Paid Membership, Online Courses (LMS), Ecommerce, User Registration & Login Form, User Profile & Restrict Content 100K+ · 3.1★ (938) wp.org #6 ↑2 7 LifterLMS – WP LMS for eLearning, Online Courses, & Quizzes 10K+ · 4.8★ (393) wp.org #19 12 too low 8 Bit integrations – Form Integration, Webhook, Spreadsheets, CRM, LMS & Email Automation 20K+ · 4.9★ (160) wp.org #17 9 too low 9 Jetpack CRM – Clients, Leads, Invoices, Billing, Email Marketing, & Automation 30K+ · 4.3★ (152) wp.org #16 ↓1 7 too low 10 FuseWP – WordPress User Sync to Email List & Marketing Automation (Mailchimp, Constant Contact, ActiveCampaign etc.) 2K+ · 4.9★ (25) wp.org #10 11 WP Map Block – Google Maps, OpenStreetMap, Mapbox, Store & Shop Locator, Directory, Listings & Filters 20K+ · 4.0★ (20) wp.org #9 ↑2 2 too high 12 Advanced Form Integration — Connect Forms to 300+ Apps 9K+ · 4.8★ (91) wp.org #20 8 too low 13 Brevo for WooCommerce 30K+ · 3.4★ (55) wp.org #7 ↓1 6 too high 14 WP OAuth Server ( Login with WordPress ) 1K+ · 4.9★ (41) wp.org #22 ↓1 8 too low 15 Academy Elementor Addons 300+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #2 13 too high 16 StoreEngine — Complete eCommerce Solution with Memberships, Licensing, Affiliates & More 700+ · 5.0★ (17) wp.org #15 1 too high 17 aBlocks – Gutenberg Blocks, User Dashboard Builder, Popup Builder, Form Builder & Animation Builder 2K+ · 5.0★ (26) wp.org #23 ↓1 6 too low 18 Surfer – WordPress Plugin 6K+ · 4.7★ (10) wp.org #13 5 too high 19 NHS Blocks 400+ · 4.5★ (2) wp.org #11 ↑1 8 too high 20 Academy Certificates – Certificate Builder for Academy LMS 200+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #21 ↓3 1 too low 21 Academy Divi Modules 30+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #14 7 too high 22 Academic Certificate Verification – Certificate Management & Certificate Validator 70+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #24 ↓1 2 too low 23 myCred Addons – Ultimate myCred Modules To Support WordPress Gamification and Loyalty Rewards 400+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #18 ↓2 5 too high 24 Academy Starter Templates 300+ · 1.0★ (1) wp.org #8 ↑1 16 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.