Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

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

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 “acme”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 of the top 20. 1 plugin is 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

Acme Fix Images – Regenerate Thumbnails shows at wp.org #1 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 23 places. Its 3K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 2.5★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Bread & Butter – Identify Website Visitors, Score Leads & Gate Content 60+ · 4.7★ (7) wp.org #5 4 too low 2 EU Consumer Rights for WooCommerce – Guarantee Notice, GARAN Label, Withdrawal Button, Right to Repair, Omnibus Price & GPSR 200+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #9 7 too low 3 String Replacer 200+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #4 ↓1 1 too low 4 Acme Demo Setup 10K+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #2 2 too high 5 Teydea Login Security – Password Policy, Complexity Rules & Expiration 400+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #3 ↑1 2 too high 6 PressPrimer Certificate – Certificate Designer & Course Certification for Your LMS 300+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #7 1 too low 7 Volixta SSL & Security Headers – Free SSL Certificates, HTTPS & Mixed Content Fixer 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #6 1 too high 8 Frontend File Explorer 90+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #11 ↓1 3 too low 9 Coming Soon and Maintenance Mode Page 50+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #10 ↓2 1 too low 10 Megurio SSL Manager — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #13 ↓1 3 too low 11 Local Business Schema Widget 20+ · 4.0★ (1) wp.org #12 ↓1 1 too low 12 WarrantyARK — EU Guarantee Notice 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #15 ↓1 3 too low 13 ACME.BOT – AI SEO Writer & Content Generator — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #16 3 too low 14 Book with Schedulo — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 ↓2 3 too low 15 S Sawir Media Folders 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #18 3 too low 16 inPIPE by Seresa — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #14 ↓1 2 too high 17 VCNS Security Automation Manager — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #19 2 too low 18 Flexa Media Folders | Folders for media, posts, and pages 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 2 too low 19 SpreadsheetConverter Calculator 500+ · 2.5★ (4) wp.org #8 ↓1 11 too high 20 MerchantKits Client Portal — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 ↓1 2 too low 21 Football Studio – Soccer League, Tournament & Club Manager 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 ↓1 2 too low 22 IntellectSight Stale Content Scanner — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #24 ↓1 2 too low 23 Pre-Order Timer — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #21 ↓1 2 too high 24 Acme Fix Images – Regenerate Thumbnails 3K+ · 2.5★ (2) wp.org #1 23 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.