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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “appended version”

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 “appended version”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 of the top 20. 2 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

WP Version Tag Remover shows at wp.org #4 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 19 places. Its 100+ 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

Pixel Manager for WooCommerce – Conversion Tracking, Google Ads, GA4, TikTok, Dynamic Remarketing places #10 on merit, 4.9★ from 399 reviews, but shows at wp.org #21. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Meta Generator and Version Info Remover 10K+ · 5.0★ (28) wp.org #1 2 hCaptcha for WP 70K+ · 4.6★ (88) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 Photo Gallery, Sliders, Proofing and Themes – NextGEN Gallery 300K+ · 4.3★ (4342) wp.org #6 3 too low 4 Popup Maker – Boost Sales, Conversions, Optins, Subscribers with the Ultimate WP Popup Builder 600K+ · 4.9★ (4514) wp.org #12 ↓3 8 too low 5 Kadence Security – Password, Two Factor Authentication, and Brute Force Protection 700K+ · 4.6★ (3992) wp.org #11 ↑1 6 too low 6 Head & Footer Code 100K+ · 5.0★ (51) wp.org #7 1 too low 7 Waymark 900+ · 5.0★ (54) wp.org #9 2 too low 8 BrikPanel: WooCommerce Dashboard & Analytics, Abandoned Cart Recovery, Order Export, Inventory Management & Bulk Editor 1K+ · 5.0★ (55) wp.org #8 9 Rename Media Files: Improve Your SEO 8K+ · 4.8★ (40) wp.org #10 1 too low 10 Pixel Manager for WooCommerce – Conversion Tracking, Google Ads, GA4, TikTok, Dynamic Remarketing 40K+ · 4.9★ (399) wp.org #21 ↓2 11 too low 11 E Easy UTM tracking with contact form 7 2K+ · 4.5★ (8) wp.org #5 6 too high 12 Custom Permalinks 100K+ · 4.1★ (116) wp.org #17 ↓3 5 too low 13 Nested Pages 90K+ · 4.7★ (126) wp.org #23 ↓2 10 too low 14 European VAT Compliance Assistant for WooCommerce 3K+ · 4.8★ (26) wp.org #16 2 too low 15 Trakoo – Orders Tracking for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.5★ (58) wp.org #14 ↑1 1 too high 16 GSheetConnector – CF7 Google Sheets Connector & Save CF7 Entries to Database 40K+ · 4.4★ (129) wp.org #18 ↑2 2 too low 17 Contact Form Email 8K+ · 4.3★ (102) wp.org #24 7 too low 18 Product SKU Generator for WooCommerce 8K+ · 4.9★ (20) wp.org #20 ↓2 2 too low 19 W WC-AC Hook 1K+ · 5.0★ (15) wp.org #19 ↓2 20 Manage/Remove version number from CSS & JS 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #2 18 too high 21 Admin Search 1K+ · 4.5★ (18) wp.org #22 1 too low 22 M MslsMenu 200+ · 4.6★ (8) wp.org #15 ↓4 7 too high 23 WP Version Tag Remover 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #4 19 too high 24 Block for Apple Maps 1K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #13 11 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.