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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “ascii encode”

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 “ascii encode”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 14 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

HXMC — Smart Media Cleaner shows at wp.org #4 but places #11 on merit, a gap of 7 places. Its — installs carry it up the search order; its 0.0★ average from 0 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Search, Filters & Merchandising for WooCommerce places #5 on merit, 4.6★ from 169 reviews, but shows at wp.org #14. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Email Encoder – Protect Email Addresses and Phone Numbers 90K+ · 4.9★ (94) wp.org #1 2 Code Block Pro – Beautiful Syntax Highlighting 10K+ · 4.8★ (50) wp.org #9 ↓1 7 too low 3 W WP-dTree 2K+ · 4.8★ (25) wp.org #7 ↑2 4 too low 4 Bulk Page Generator – LPagery 3K+ · 5.0★ (31) wp.org #11 7 too low 5 Search, Filters & Merchandising for WooCommerce 200+ · 4.6★ (169) wp.org #14 9 too low 6 Klaviyo 100K+ · 2.8★ (24) wp.org #6 7 EffortLess QR Code Generator 30+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #2 5 too high 8 MStore API – Create Native Android & iOS Apps On The Cloud 2K+ · 3.7★ (21) wp.org #12 4 too low 9 Encode Decode Tool 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #3 6 too high 10 W WP PGP Encrypted Emails 300+ · 4.6★ (16) wp.org #18 8 too low 11 HXMC — Smart Media Cleaner — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #4 7 too high 12 B Barcodegen – Barcode Generator — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #5 7 too high 13 MKM Digital Social Publisher Bridge to Buffer — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #8 ↓1 5 too high 14 SendForce Mail SMTP Relay – SMTP and Email API 10+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #17 3 too low 15 A.N.R.GHG Publishing Toolkit 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #10 5 too high 16 LeadConnector 20K+ · 2.3★ (11) wp.org #15 1 too high 17 Falling Cherry Flower 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #13 4 too high 18 Newsroom OS – Google Discover, Google News, Schema & Editorial Workflow 40+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #16 2 too high 19 TFO Graphviz 40+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #23 4 too low 20 Digigyan SEO Toolkit 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #19 1 too high 21 Coywolf Video Manager — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 1 too high 22 KCITService – AI Site Beacon — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 1 too high 23 Shiptimize for WooCommerce 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 1 too high 24 P Permalink Encoding 10+ · 0.0★ (0) 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.