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← Rankings

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

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 “api search”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 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

SteadFast API shows at wp.org #5 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 17 places. Its 8K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.3★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Translate WordPress with GTranslate places #8 on merit, 4.9★ from 4962 reviews, but shows at wp.org #19. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Site Kit by Google – Analytics, Search Console, AdSense, Speed 5M+ · 4.2★ (1012) wp.org #1 2 Search Exclude 50K+ · 4.8★ (218) wp.org #2 3 Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI 10M+ · 4.8★ (27821) wp.org #3 4 Ajax Search Lite – Live Search & Filter 70K+ · 4.8★ (266) wp.org #4 5 Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7519) wp.org #8 3 too low 6 FiboSearch – Ajax Search for WooCommerce 100K+ · 4.9★ (1815) wp.org #6 7 PixelYourSite – Your smart PIXEL (TAG) & API Manager 400K+ · 4.3★ (281) wp.org #9 2 too low 8 Translate WordPress with GTranslate 900K+ · 4.9★ (4962) wp.org #19 11 too low 9 API KEY for Google Maps 30K+ · 4.9★ (55) wp.org #11 2 too low 10 WP Search with Algolia 7K+ · 4.5★ (24) wp.org #7 3 too high 11 All in One SEO – AI SEO Plugin to Boost SEO Rankings & Traffic (Schema, Local SEO, Sitemap & SEO Insights) 2M+ · 4.7★ (5231) wp.org #15 4 too low 12 Widgets for Google Reviews 1M+ · 4.9★ (2667) wp.org #20 8 too low 13 JWT Authentication for WP REST APIs 10K+ · 4.4★ (74) wp.org #14 1 too low 14 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322) wp.org #18 4 too low 15 Better Search – Relevant search results for WordPress 5K+ · 4.4★ (61) wp.org #13 2 too high 16 Search Analytics for WP – Site Search Tracking 3K+ · 5.0★ (30) wp.org #10 6 too high 17 WooCommerce 7M+ · 4.5★ (4833) wp.org #21 4 too low 18 Datafeedr API 4K+ · 4.0★ (13) wp.org #12 6 too high 19 Contact Form to Any API 8K+ · 5.0★ (28) wp.org #17 2 too high 20 WP API SwaggerUI 2K+ · 5.0★ (11) wp.org #16 4 too high 21 R REST API Log 5K+ · 3.6★ (24) wp.org #23 2 too low 22 SteadFast API 8K+ · 3.3★ (3) wp.org #5 17 too high 23 AI Search for WooCommerce – Semantic Search 200+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #22 1 too high 24 VK Filter Search 6K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #24

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.