Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

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

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 “asp”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 of the top 20. 4 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

iG:Syntax Hiliter shows at wp.org #4 but places #12 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 30+ 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

Contact Form Email places #5 on merit, 4.3★ from 102 reviews, but shows at wp.org #15. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 SafeGuard Media Protection 100+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #1 2 CodeColorer 1K+ · 4.9★ (11) wp.org #2 3 404 Solution 10K+ · 4.9★ (44) wp.org #16 ↓2 13 too low 4 Event Organiser 20K+ · 4.6★ (140) wp.org #13 ↑2 9 too low 5 Contact Form Email 8K+ · 4.3★ (102) wp.org #15 ↑1 10 too low 6 Advanced Sermons 1K+ · 4.7★ (22) wp.org #14 ↓1 8 too low 7 CopySafe PDF Protection – Copy Protect PDF 300+ · 3.9★ (14) wp.org #11 4 too low 8 CopySafe Web Protection – Copy Protect Images 800+ · 4.1★ (12) wp.org #9 1 too low 9 SiteLock Security – WP Hardening, Login Security & Malware Scans 1K+ · 3.4★ (14) wp.org #12 3 too low 10 Store Locator Widget 300+ · 3.7★ (3) wp.org #3 7 too high 11 Lumenare Search 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #5 6 too high 12 iG:Syntax Hiliter 30+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #4 8 too high 13 A Append extensions on Pages 700+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #22 9 too low 14 Kukuriya 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #6 ↑2 8 too high 15 affilun — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #7 ↓1 8 too high 16 OOSOFT WAF Security — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #8 ↓1 8 too high 17 P Program Output 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #10 7 too high 18 Bot Protection with Turnstile 200+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 1 too high 19 AutoArticle Content Generator 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #19 20 EC Links 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #18 2 too high 21 Super Duper Two-Factor Login 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 1 too high 22 P Password Strength Indicator using jQuery and XML 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #24 2 too low 23 Shorten Sub-category's Link 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #23 24 Acquire 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #21 3 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.