Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

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

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 “automaticly”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 of the top 20. 8 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

OTYS Plugin shows at wp.org #4 but places #10 on merit, a gap of 6 places. Its 100+ 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

Dynamic Widgets places #2 on merit, 4.7★ from 109 reviews, but shows at wp.org #10. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 AutoConvert Greeklish Permalinks 40K+ · 4.9★ (26) wp.org #1 2 Dynamic Widgets 10K+ · 4.7★ (109) wp.org #10 8 too low 3 reCaptcha by BestWebSoft 100K+ · 3.9★ (391) wp.org #11 8 too low 4 Disable Gutenberg 500+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #2 2 too high 5 LLMagnet – AI Visibility & AI SEO for Claude, ChatGPT & More 500+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #14 9 too low 6 Stetic 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #3 3 too high 7 Webling 500+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #12 5 too low 8 CookieLegit 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #5 3 too high 9 Enormail Sign Up Forms 400+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #7 2 too high 10 OTYS Plugin 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #4 6 too high 11 PHC GO Commerce Sync 40+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #6 5 too high 12 Easy SEO Toolkit 30+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #9 3 too high 13 Uni5Pay+ Payment Gateway for Woocommerce 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #8 5 too high 14 W WP Sudoku Plus 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #13 1 too high 15 N NextGenConvert — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #16 1 too low 16 Mailing opt-in for Stager using CF7 (by DKZR) 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #19 3 too low 17 Bg Playlist 50+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #18 1 too low 18 Modern QR Code Generator 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 2 too low 19 Cashflows for WooCommerce 500+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #15 4 too high 20 Lazy Load Image Filter 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #17 3 too high 21 QR Code Generator for Post 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 1 too low 22 Meta Counter For Groundhogg | An Counter Action Extension 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 1 too low 23 Mathilda 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #21 2 too high 24 I in stock products filter widget 10+ · 2.0★ (1) 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.