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

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 box”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 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

Cool Author Box – For Widget and Post Content shows at wp.org #7 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 500+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin places #9 on merit, 4.9★ from 1281 reviews, but shows at wp.org #22. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Simple Author Box 90K+ · 4.3★ (115) wp.org #1 2 Co-Authors, Multiple Authors and Guest Authors in an Author Box with PublishPress Authors 20K+ · 4.9★ (114) wp.org #2 3 Molongui Authorship – Author Boxes, Guest Authors & Co-Authors for WordPress 10K+ · 4.7★ (158) wp.org #5 ↓2 2 too low 4 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) wp.org #6 ↑1 2 too low 5 WP Post Author – Author Box, Multiple Authors, Guest Authors & Custom Avatars 10K+ · 4.2★ (22) wp.org #3 ↑1 2 too high 6 Author Box WP Lens 900+ · 5.0★ (12) wp.org #4 ↑1 2 too high 7 Popup Box – Create Countdown, Coupon, Video, Contact Form Popups 50K+ · 4.6★ (82) wp.org #11 4 too low 8 Author Avatars List/Block 4K+ · 4.8★ (32) wp.org #9 1 too low 9 Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1281) wp.org #22 ↓4 13 too low 10 Starbox – the Author Box for Humans 10K+ · 4.5★ (203) wp.org #17 7 too low 11 The Events Calendar 600K+ · 4.2★ (2461) wp.org #24 ↓3 13 too low 12 Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) 2M+ · 4.5★ (1440) wp.org #21 9 too low 13 Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408) wp.org #23 10 too low 14 Guest Author 5K+ · 4.2★ (13) wp.org #8 6 too high 15 ( (Simply) Guest Author Name 2K+ · 4.7★ (23) wp.org #15 ↓1 16 Co-Authors Plus 20K+ · 3.5★ (77) wp.org #16 17 VK Post Author Display 10K+ · 4.5★ (8) wp.org #10 7 too high 18 Gallery Box 1K+ · 4.1★ (18) wp.org #12 ↑1 6 too high 19 Cool Author Box – For Widget and Post Content 500+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #7 ↓1 12 too high 20 Author Box & Pages for E-E-A-T Optimization 200+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #13 ↓1 7 too high 21 Easy Author Avatar Image 1K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #14 ↑1 7 too high 22 Authorsy – Author Box, Multiple Authors, Guest Authors & Post Rating 1K+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 ↓1 2 too high 23 Cite This Article – Author Box & Citation 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #18 5 too high 24 Author Bio On Hover – Author Box 40+ · 3.0★ (2) wp.org #19 ↑1 5 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.