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

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 “affordability”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 15 of the top 20. 4 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

Aplazame shows at wp.org #6 but places #15 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 500+ 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

Diverse Solutions IDX Real Estate Listings & MLS Search places #11 on merit, 3.2★ from 66 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 Nelio A/B Testing – AB Tests and Heatmaps for Better Conversion Optimization 4K+ · 4.8★ (99) wp.org #4 3 too low 2 Property Hive 3K+ · 4.9★ (96) wp.org #7 ↓1 5 too low 3 Razorpay Payment Links for WooCommerce 900+ · 4.8★ (18) wp.org #5 2 too low 4 WebPlanex: GST Invoice India 400+ · 5.0★ (39) wp.org #9 ↓1 5 too low 5 Razorpay for WooCommerce 100K+ · 2.5★ (23) wp.org #3 2 too high 6 Home Affordability Calculator 80+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #1 5 too high 7 Property Hive Rental Affordability Calculator 400+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #2 5 too high 8 Paytm Payment Gateway 3K+ · 3.1★ (15) wp.org #8 ↓1 9 Rover IDX 200+ · 4.8★ (24) wp.org #23 ↓2 14 too low 10 Mortgage Calculators WP 2K+ · 4.7★ (10) wp.org #21 ↓2 11 too low 11 Diverse Solutions IDX Real Estate Listings & MLS Search 1K+ · 3.2★ (66) wp.org #24 ↓2 13 too low 12 ClimateClick: Climate Action for all 10+ · 4.6★ (10) wp.org #22 ↓2 10 too low 13 Blockenberg — 645 Advanced Gutenberg Blocks, 683 Templates and AI Agent for WordPress Block Editor 1K+ · 4.6★ (5) wp.org #12 ↓1 1 too high 14 Property Hive Mortgage Calculator 800+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #10 ↓1 4 too high 15 Aplazame 500+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #6 ↓1 9 too high 16 Smart Calculators Suite — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #14 ↓1 2 too high 17 Smart Forms & Calculators By Embed Sheets 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #11 ↓1 6 too high 18 First We Plan Mortgage Planner — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #15 ↓1 3 too high 19 M Mapletools Canadian Mortgage Calculators — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #16 3 too high 20 CalcuLoan – AI Guided Chat Loan Calculator for WordPress — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 ↓2 3 too high 21 Reallyo AgentAI – Real Estate Chatbot — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #18 ↓2 3 too high 22 Splitit for WooCommerce 90+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #13 ↓1 9 too high 23 Bubblibot – GPT-5 Chatbot for WordPress — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 ↓2 3 too high 24 PayU India 7K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #19 ↓2 5 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.