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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “age checker”

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 “age checker”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.

Ranked above its merit

Age Verification Screen for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #16 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 300+ installs carry it up the search order; its 1.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Redirection places #11 on merit, 4.4★ from 703 reviews, but shows at wp.org #23. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 404 to 301 – Redirect Manager, 301 Redirection, 404 Error Logs & 404 Monitoring 100K+ · 4.7★ (321) wp.org #2 ↑1 1 too low 2 OMGF | GDPR/DSGVO Compliant, Faster Google Fonts. Easy. 300K+ · 4.7★ (213) wp.org #3 ↑1 1 too low 3 MonsterInsights – Google Analytics Dashboard for WordPress (Website Stats Made Easy) 2M+ · 4.5★ (3157) wp.org #4 ↓2 1 too low 4 Master Addons for Elementor – Elementor Addons, Widgets, Mega Menu Builder, Popup Builder, Widget Builder & Template Kits 30K+ · 4.5★ (212) wp.org #7 3 too low 5 Age Verification for your checkout page. Verify your customer’s identity 600+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #1 4 too high 6 Unlimited Elements for Elementor 300K+ · 4.8★ (525) wp.org #10 ↑4 4 too low 7 Simple Link Directory – AI Powered 2K+ · 4.8★ (121) wp.org #9 2 too low 8 Link Whisper Free 30K+ · 4.2★ (151) wp.org #13 ↓4 5 too low 9 404 Solution 10K+ · 4.9★ (44) wp.org #12 ↓2 3 too low 10 Age Verification & Identity Verification by Token of Trust 20+ · 4.3★ (15) wp.org #6 4 too high 11 Redirection 2M+ · 4.4★ (703) wp.org #23 ↓1 12 too low 12 AdFlow – Ad Inserter & Ad Manager: AdSense, Banner Ads & ads.txt 3K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #5 7 too high 13 AI Popup 400+ · 4.6★ (21) wp.org #18 5 too low 14 Axeptio – Cookie Banner – GDPR Consent & Compliance with a friendly touch 8K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #8 6 too high 15 Blockenberg — 645 Advanced Gutenberg Blocks, 683 Templates and AI Agent for WordPress Block Editor 1K+ · 4.6★ (5) wp.org #11 ↑3 4 too high 16 AgeVerif 50+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #14 ↑1 2 too high 17 Redact Tools for Discord – Timestamp Generator & Account Age Checker — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #15 2 too high 18 GAISEO – AI SEO Checker Starter 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 1 too high 19 Namdar Content Decay Checker — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #19 20 Linktrade: Backlink Monitor & Reciprocal Link Checker 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 1 too low 21 DMARCREPORT Domain Auth Checker — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 ↓1 1 too low 22 NexLink 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #20 ↓1 2 too high 23 Crawler Record 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #24 ↓1 1 too low 24 Age Verification Screen for WooCommerce 300+ · 1.0★ (1) wp.org #16 ↓4 8 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.