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

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 “ally”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 6 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

Manage – Centralized site maintenance and monitoring shows at wp.org #3 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 15 places. Its 100K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 2.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322) wp.org #1 2 Web Accessibility (formally known as Ally) – WCAG Scanning, Guided Fixes, Usability Widget 500K+ · 2.9★ (162) wp.org #2 3 Darklup – Enhanced WordPress Dark Mode, Dark Theme, Night Mode & Accessibility Plugin 1K+ · 4.5★ (44) wp.org #5 2 too low 4 Beehive Analytics – Google Analytics Dashboard 20K+ · 4.5★ (13) wp.org #6 2 too low 5 Tota11y WP 200+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #4 1 too high 6 Editoria11y Accessibility Checker 1K+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #7 1 too low 7 FFL Checkout by Texas Technology Group 20+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #11 4 too low 8 Cookiez – GDPR & CCPA Cookie Banner & Consent Manager 50K+ · 4.3★ (4) wp.org #8 9 G GG-Ally Page Builder — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #10 1 too low 10 Online Booking & Appointment Scheduling – Vigore — · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #18 ↓1 8 too low 11 DrezSync: Calendar Booking for Gravity Forms — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #12 1 too low 12 Accessibility Widget by Welcoma – WCAG, ADA & EAA 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #13 1 too low 13 A11yMate – Accessibility Checker — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #14 1 too low 14 HelpfulnessMeter — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #15 ↓1 1 too low 15 WP iRecord Form – Record Wildlife — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #19 ↓1 4 too low 16 Buoy 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 ↓1 5 too low 17 Jupiter X Core 70K+ · 1.9★ (9) wp.org #17 ↓1 18 Manage – Centralized site maintenance and monitoring 100K+ · 2.0★ (1) wp.org #3 15 too high 19 KueskiPay Gateway 300+ · 1.5★ (2) wp.org #9 10 too high 20 Addi – Cuotas que se adaptan a ti 3K+ · 1.5★ (2) wp.org #16 ↓1 4 too high 21 M myEASYwebally 10+ · 1.0★ (1) wp.org #20 ↓1 1 too high 22 M Media Ally 10+ · 1.0★ (2) wp.org #22 ↓1 23 C CODESHIELD — · 1.0★ (1) wp.org #23 ↓1

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.