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

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 “attachements”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 of the top 20. 7 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

Mailtree Log Mail shows at wp.org #3 but places #14 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 10+ 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 Custom Fields: Extended places #4 on merit, 4.8★ from 132 reviews, but shows at wp.org #9. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Generate PDF using Contact Form 7 4K+ · 4.7★ (40) wp.org #2 1 too low 2 Better image sizes 2K+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #1 1 too high 3 Media Library Folders 10K+ · 4.3★ (465) wp.org #7 ↑1 4 too low 4 Advanced Custom Fields: Extended 100K+ · 4.8★ (132) wp.org #9 ↑1 5 too low 5 Custom Post Types and Custom Fields creator – WCK 10K+ · 4.7★ (97) wp.org #5 ↑1 6 Return Refund and Exchange For WooCommerce 4K+ · 4.7★ (124) wp.org #6 ↑1 7 Crop-Thumbnails 40K+ · 4.6★ (67) wp.org #8 ↑1 1 too low 8 Raffle Play Woocommerce 700+ · 5.0★ (21) wp.org #4 ↑1 4 too high 9 FluentBoards – Project Management, Task Management, Goal Tracking, Kanban Board, and, Team Collaboration 6K+ · 5.0★ (25) wp.org #11 ↑1 2 too low 10 MaxGalleria 1K+ · 4.4★ (65) wp.org #13 ↑1 3 too low 11 Post Status Notifier Lite 700+ · 3.9★ (17) wp.org #12 ↑1 1 too low 12 SEO Breadcrumbs 200+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #14 ↑1 2 too low 13 E-Invoicing For WooCommerce 90+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #10 ↑1 3 too high 14 Mailtree Log Mail 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #3 ↑1 11 too high 15 Remove 'OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA' from caption and title by image upload 30+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #18 ↑1 3 too low 16 C contact form 7 pdf extension 30+ · 4.0★ (5) wp.org #20 ↑1 4 too low 17 S Surbma | WP Control 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #15 ↑1 2 too high 18 LeSeo 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #16 ↑1 2 too high 19 LH Media Mime Types — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 ↑1 2 too high 20 Integrate WordPress or WooCommerce with Slack — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #19 ↑1 1 too high 21 Zu Media — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 2 too low 22 Media Folder 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #21 ↑1 1 too high 23 A Advanced Multiple Image Upload 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #22 ↑1 1 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.