wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “adn”
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 “adn”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 4 of the top 17. 6 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
Seylan Bank Payment Gateway by Oganro shows at wp.org #11 but places #16 on merit, a gap of 5 places. Its — installs carry it up the search order; its 3.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Helper Lite for PageSpeed 2K+ · 5.0★ (9) thin reviews
wp.org #3 2 too low 2 
wp-Monalisa 600+ · 4.8★ (25) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #4 2 too low 3 
AfroditaBot 10+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviewslow rating, top placement
wp.org #1 2 too high 4 
CBX Petition 70+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviewslow rating, top placement
wp.org #2 2 too high 5 
GamiPress – Leaderboards Include/Exclude Users 400+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviewslow rating, top placement
wp.org #5 6 S Social Simple Widget 10+ · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviewsstale but ranked
wp.org #7 1 too low 7 
Patrons Tips — · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #6 1 too high 8 
BuddyStream 10+ · 2.2★ (25) throws errorsnot PHP-currentclosure risk
wp.org #12 4 too low 9 
Easy Mixitup — · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviewsstale but ranked
wp.org #8 1 too high 10 
Clustdoc Client portal 10+ · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviewsstale but ranked
wp.org #9 1 too high 11 
Mis Cursos LMS 10+ · 5.0★ (1) closure risk thin reviewsstale but ranked
wp.org #10 1 too high 12 W WP Live CSS Editor 100+ · 2.5★ (10) closure risk thin reviews
wp.org #16 4 too low 13 0 011 Ps Custom Taxonomy — · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviews
wp.org #14 1 too low 14 B BSGallery — · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviews
wp.org #17 3 too low 15 F flickree 10+ · 0.0★ (0) throws errorsnot PHP-currentclosure risk thin reviews
wp.org #13 2 too high 16 Seylan Bank Payment Gateway by Oganro — · 3.0★ (2) closure risk thin reviews
wp.org #11 5 too high 17 
Decode Reply Tool 10+ · 5.0★ (1) closure risk thin reviews
wp.org #15 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.