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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “accessibility audit”

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 “accessibility audit”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 of the top 20. 5 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

DSGN Accessibility Audit and Statement shows at wp.org #8 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 20+ 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

FooGallery Photo Gallery : Image, Video & Masonry Galleries places #8 on merit, 4.8★ from 995 reviews, but shows at wp.org #24. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) wp.org #2 ↑1 1 too low 2 Web Accessibility (formally known as Ally) – WCAG Scanning, Guided Fixes, Usability Widget 500K+ · 2.9★ (162) wp.org #1 1 too high 3 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) wp.org #4 ↑1 1 too low 4 AccessiYes Accessibility Widget for ADA, EAA & WCAG Readiness 20K+ · 4.8★ (36) wp.org #3 ↓1 1 too high 5 Equalize Digital Accessibility Checker – WCAG, ADA, EAA and Section 508 compliance 10K+ · 4.9★ (80) wp.org #5 ↓1 6 Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ · 4.7★ (1667) wp.org #10 ↑7 4 too low 7 CookieYes – Cookie Banner for Cookie Consent (Easy to setup GDPR/CCPA Compliant Cookie Notice) 1M+ · 4.8★ (3236) wp.org #19 ↑1 12 too low 8 FooGallery Photo Gallery : Image, Video & Masonry Galleries 100K+ · 4.8★ (995) wp.org #24 16 too low 9 Export Media URLs 7K+ · 5.0★ (29) wp.org #13 ↓1 4 too low 10 Accessibility Tools & Alt Text Finder 3K+ · 4.9★ (69) wp.org #15 ↓1 5 too low 11 Accessibility by AllAccessible 2K+ · 5.0★ (15) wp.org #7 4 too high 12 Accessibility Tool Kit: WP Accessibility checker plugin for WCAG, Section 508, ADA, EAA Compliance 1K+ · 4.8★ (5) wp.org #6 6 too high 13 Code Snippets 1M+ · 4.7★ (510) wp.org #23 ↓2 10 too low 14 XCompliant – Accessibility Scan & Audit 200+ · 4.7★ (31) wp.org #14 ↓1 15 Real Accessibility: Accessibility Widget & Toolbar 1K+ · 4.9★ (7) wp.org #9 6 too high 16 Web Accessibility by accessiBe 10K+ · 4.1★ (32) wp.org #18 2 too low 17 Open Accessibility 50+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #11 ↓1 6 too high 18 DSGN Accessibility Audit and Statement 20+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #8 10 too high 19 Alt Audit – Bulk Alt Text Manager & Image SEO 90+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 ↑1 2 too low 20 Web Accessibility Toolkit – Accessibility Checker & ARIA for WCAG, Section 508 & ADA Compliance 500+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #12 ↓1 8 too high 21 AAArdvark Accessibility Reports 500+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #16 ↓1 5 too high 22 Web200 Accessibility Audit 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #20 ↓1 2 too high 23 One Accessibility – WordPress Accessibility Plugin & ADA Compliance Widget 300+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #17 ↓1 6 too high 24 Sa11y, the accessibility quality assurance assistant | Accessibility Checker 300+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #22 ↑1 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.