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

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 “aprs”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 17 of the top 20.

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

Loan Calculator shows at wp.org #2 but places #16 on merit, a gap of 14 places. Its 400+ 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

Advanced File Manager – Ultimate File Manager for WordPress And Document Library Solution places #10 on merit, 4.8★ from 441 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 Compact Archives 2K+ · 5.0★ (9) wp.org #1 2 HurryTimer – An Scarcity and Urgency Countdown Timer for WordPress & WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.8★ (170) wp.org #4 2 too low 3 Quill Forms | Conversational Multi Step Forms, Surveys & quizzes 3K+ · 4.8★ (44) wp.org #5 2 too low 4 UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8708) wp.org #14 ↓1 10 too low 5 LiteSpeed Cache 7M+ · 4.8★ (2778) wp.org #15 ↑2 10 too low 6 Quiz Maker by AYS 20K+ · 4.9★ (601) wp.org #17 ↑5 11 too low 7 Current Year, Symbols and IP Shortcode 10K+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #3 ↓1 4 too high 8 File Manager 1M+ · 4.6★ (1492) wp.org #18 ↓4 10 too low 9 Advanced Google reCAPTCHA 200K+ · 4.8★ (430) wp.org #20 ↓4 11 too low 10 Advanced File Manager – Ultimate File Manager for WordPress And Document Library Solution 100K+ · 4.8★ (441) wp.org #24 ↓1 14 too low 11 Duplicate Page 3M+ · 4.8★ (466) wp.org #19 ↓4 8 too low 12 WP Chat App 100K+ · 4.9★ (222) wp.org #23 ↓2 11 too low 13 QuickShipD – Estimated Delivery Date for WooCommerce 40+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #6 ↓3 7 too high 14 Customize Feeds for Twitter 4K+ · 4.2★ (18) wp.org #10 ↓1 4 too high 15 Security Optimizer – The All-In-One Protection Plugin 1M+ · 4.5★ (157) wp.org #21 ↓1 6 too low 16 Loan Calculator 400+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #2 14 too high 17 FooGallery Migrate 1K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #8 ↓2 9 too high 18 A APRS Passcode Generator 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #9 ↓1 9 too high 19 Smart Loan Calculator 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #7 12 too high 20 Consumer Financing by ChargeAfter 30+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #11 ↓1 9 too high 21 Jifiti Buy Now Pay Later 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #12 ↓1 9 too high 22 Secure Draft Preview Links 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #13 ↓1 9 too high 23 MortgageCalculator.me Widget — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #16 7 too high 24 Reinvent AI Agent — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 ↓4 2 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.