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

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 “adjustment”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 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

WPSSO Tune WP Image Editors shows at wp.org #10 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 800+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 6 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Duplicate Post places #11 on merit, 4.9★ from 1623 reviews, but shows at wp.org #20. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

WooCommerce Stripe Payment Gateway 700K+ · 3.1★ (237) low rating, top placement wp.org #1 2

Parsi Date | بسته فارسی ساز وردپرس و ووکامرس پارسی دیت 100K+ · 4.6★ (130) wp.org #2 ↑2 3

Brizy – Page Builder 60K+ · 4.7★ (972) wp.org #5 2 too low 4

Breeze Cache 300K+ · 3.6★ (133) wp.org #3 ↓1 1 too high 5

PW WooCommerce Gift Cards 20K+ · 4.7★ (195) wp.org #6 1 too low 6

AccessiYes Accessibility Widget for ADA, EAA & WCAG Readiness 20K+ · 4.8★ (36) wp.org #4 ↓1 2 too high 7

Simple History – Track, Log, and Audit WordPress Changes 300K+ · 4.9★ (491) wp.org #11 ↑3 4 too low 8

Smash Balloon Social Photo Feed – Easy Social Feeds Plugin 1M+ · 4.9★ (4358) wp.org #14 ↓4 6 too low 9

Ajax Search Lite – Live Search & Filter 70K+ · 4.8★ (266) wp.org #13 ↑10 4 too low 10

Cloudflare 200K+ · 3.5★ (181) wp.org #8 2 too high 11

Duplicate Post 300K+ · 4.9★ (1623) wp.org #20 ↓8 9 too low 12

Cyr to Lat Enhanced 80K+ · 4.6★ (51) wp.org #9 3 too high 13

Germanized for WooCommerce 70K+ · 4.8★ (496) wp.org #19 ↓2 6 too low 14

Hustle – Email Marketing, Lead Generation, Optins, Popups 80K+ · 4.4★ (859) wp.org #21 7 too low 15

Web Accessibility (formally known as Ally) – WCAG Scanning, Guided Fixes, Usability Widget 500K+ · 2.9★ (163) wp.org #7 8 too high 16

WPC Smart Compare for WooCommerce 70K+ · 4.5★ (44) wp.org #12 ↑1 4 too high 17

Affiliates Manager 8K+ · 4.1★ (61) wp.org #17 ↑2 18

Create 6K+ · 4.3★ (25) wp.org #16 ↓1 2 too high 19

WPSSO Tune WP Image Editors 800+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews wp.org #10 ↑1 9 too high 20

ELEX WooCommerce Role Based Pricing 2K+ · 4.1★ (14) thin reviews wp.org #15 ↑1 5 too high 21

Real Accessibility: Accessibility Widget & Toolbar 1K+ · 4.9★ (7) thin reviews wp.org #18 3 too high 22

Dark Reader – Beautiful Dark Mode for any Website 200+ · 5.0★ (5) thin reviews wp.org #24 2 too low 23

wModes – Catalog Mode, Product Pricing, Enquiry Forms & Promotions | for WooCommerce 800+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews wp.org #22 ↓2 1 too high 24

Admin Bar Fix 400+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews wp.org #23 ↓1 1 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.