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← Rankings

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

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 “alpha”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 of the top 20. 3 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

Alpha Addons for Gravity Forms shows at wp.org #7 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 10+ 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

Easy Watermark places #9 on merit, 3.7★ from 159 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 Flexy Breadcrumb 10K+ · 4.7★ (20) wp.org #4 ↑1 3 too low 2 Alpha SMS 200+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #1 1 too high 3 Jquery Validation For Contact Form 7 8K+ · 4.6★ (87) wp.org #13 ↑1 10 too low 4 Country Code For Elementor Form Telephone Field 10K+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #6 ↑1 2 too low 5 Hreflang Manager – Hreflang Implementation for International SEO 8K+ · 4.7★ (9) wp.org #5 ↑1 6 Stock Ticker 2K+ · 4.4★ (21) wp.org #9 ↓1 3 too low 7 Alphabetic Pagination 400+ · 4.7★ (81) wp.org #17 10 too low 8 Simple Job Board 10K+ · 4.7★ (133) wp.org #14 ↑1 6 too low 9 Easy Watermark 30K+ · 3.7★ (159) wp.org #24 ↓2 15 too low 10 Timeline Module for Divi 3K+ · 4.8★ (9) wp.org #11 1 too low 11 Alpha Google Map For Elementor 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #2 9 too high 12 Alpha Insights – Advanced Analytics, Sales Reporting & COGS for WooCommerce 50+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #3 ↑1 9 too high 13 S SpiceBox 20K+ · 3.8★ (4) wp.org #8 ↑2 5 too high 14 Events Calendar Modules for Divi 2K+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #12 ↑1 2 too high 15 Wetterwarner 500+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #21 6 too low 16 TuriTop Booking System 500+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #10 ↓1 6 too high 17 A Advanced XProfile Fields for BuddyPress 100+ · 4.2★ (5) wp.org #19 ↓1 2 too low 18 Alpha Addons for Gravity Forms 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #7 ↑5 11 too high 19 Real Time Validation For Gravity Forms 500+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #20 1 too low 20 Creative Addons for Elementor 700+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #22 ↑1 2 too low 21 Attesa Extra 1K+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #16 5 too high 22 A Alpha Price Table For Elementor — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #15 ↑2 7 too high 23 Stock Market News 400+ · 3.7★ (3) wp.org #18 ↑1 5 too high 24 A Alpha Single Product For Elementor 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 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.