Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “author base”

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 “author base”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 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

Change Author Base shows at wp.org #6 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 16 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

Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings places #8 on merit, 4.8★ from 7519 reviews, but shows at wp.org #18. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Polylang 900K+ · 4.7★ (3004) wp.org #2 1 too low 2 No Category Base (WPML) 100K+ · 4.5★ (34) wp.org #1 1 too high 3 Edit Author Slug 100K+ · 4.8★ (84) wp.org #4 1 too low 4 BetterDocs – AI Documentation, Knowledge Base, MCP Server, Docs, Wikis, FAQ & Chatbot 30K+ · 4.8★ (515) wp.org #7 ↓2 3 too low 5 Ultimate Member – User Profile, Registration, Login, Member Directory, Content Restriction & Membership Plugin 200K+ · 4.4★ (1445) wp.org #11 ↓1 6 too low 6 VS Knowledge Base 300+ · 4.8★ (17) wp.org #5 ↑1 1 too high 7 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322) wp.org #10 ↑1 3 too low 8 Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7519) wp.org #18 10 too low 9 AI Engine – MCP Server & AI Chatbot for WordPress, with Claude, ChatGPT & Gemini 90K+ · 4.9★ (874) wp.org #19 10 too low 10 MailPoet – Newsletters, Email Marketing, and Automation 500K+ · 4.4★ (1435) wp.org #15 5 too low 11 ( (Simply) Guest Author Name 2K+ · 4.7★ (23) wp.org #8 ↑1 3 too high 12 EazyDocs – AI Powered Knowledge Base, Wiki, Documentation & FAQ Builder 2K+ · 4.7★ (100) wp.org #14 ↑1 2 too low 13 Change Author Link Structure 600+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #3 10 too high 14 Knowledge Base documentation & wiki plugin – BasePress Docs 2K+ · 4.8★ (75) wp.org #12 ↑1 2 too high 15 Recent Posts Widget With Thumbnails 100K+ · 4.8★ (215) wp.org #21 6 too low 16 WebberZone Top 10 — Popular Posts 10K+ · 4.6★ (102) wp.org #17 ↑5 1 too low 17 Ivory Search – WordPress Search Plugin 90K+ · 4.9★ (1562) wp.org #24 ↓7 7 too low 18 ActivityPub 6K+ · 4.9★ (40) wp.org #16 2 too high 19 Index WP MySQL For Speed 50K+ · 4.8★ (99) wp.org #22 3 too low 20 DTX – Dynamic Text Extension for Contact Form 7 100K+ · 4.7★ (99) wp.org #23 ↓4 3 too low 21 Support Genix – Helpdesk, AI Chatbot, Knowledge Base & Customer Support Ticketing System 3K+ · 4.5★ (10) wp.org #13 ↑1 8 too high 22 Change Author Base 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #6 ↑1 16 too high 23 Custom Base Terms 70+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #9 ↓1 14 too high 24 Author Kit | Effortlessly Manage author profiles and add modern author bio boxes to posts 50+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #20 4 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.