Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “awesome map”

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 “awesome map”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 of the top 20. 6 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

Floating Awesome Button (Sticky Button, Popup, Toast) & 200+ Website Custom Interactive Element shows at wp.org #11 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 700+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 5 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

GeoDirectory – WP Business Directory Plugin and Classified Listings Directory places #11 on merit, 4.8★ from 716 reviews, but shows at wp.org #19. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Leaflet Map 30K+ · 4.9★ (58) wp.org #1 2 Newsletter – Send awesome emails from WordPress 200K+ · 4.6★ (1205) wp.org #2 3 WP Maps – Google Maps, OpenStreetMap, Mapbox, Store Locator with Search, Filters & Listings 60K+ · 4.3★ (122) wp.org #3 4 Floating Chat Widget: Contact Chat Icons, Telegram Chat, Line Messenger, WeChat, Email, SMS, Call Button – Chaty 300K+ · 5.0★ (1244) wp.org #10 ↑1 6 too low 5 Flipbox – Awesomes Flip Boxes Image Overlay 9K+ · 4.7★ (149) wp.org #8 3 too low 6 Image Hotspot – Map Image Annotation 3K+ · 4.9★ (22) wp.org #5 ↑1 1 too high 7 Otter Blocks – Gutenberg Blocks, Page Builder for Gutenberg Editor & FSE 300K+ · 4.7★ (251) wp.org #9 2 too low 8 Mapster WP Maps 3K+ · 4.9★ (54) wp.org #7 1 too high 9 Extensions for Leaflet Map 3K+ · 5.0★ (24) wp.org #4 5 too high 10 Travelers' Map 1K+ · 5.0★ (46) wp.org #6 ↓1 4 too high 11 GeoDirectory – WP Business Directory Plugin and Classified Listings Directory 10K+ · 4.8★ (716) wp.org #19 ↑4 8 too low 12 Post and Page Builder by BoldGrid – Visual Drag and Drop Editor 50K+ · 4.7★ (140) wp.org #17 ↑1 5 too low 13 Stackable – Page Builder Gutenberg Blocks 100K+ · 4.9★ (522) wp.org #20 ↑4 7 too low 14 Waymark 900+ · 5.0★ (54) wp.org #16 ↓2 2 too low 15 CMB2 300K+ · 5.0★ (91) wp.org #12 3 too high 16 SiteOrigin Widgets Bundle 400K+ · 4.9★ (134) wp.org #21 5 too low 17 Skyboot Custom Icons for Elementor – Elementor Icons library – 14300+ Icons 200K+ · 5.0★ (22) wp.org #15 ↓2 2 too high 18 ACF Frontend Admin by DynamiApps 8K+ · 4.5★ (160) wp.org #23 ↓2 5 too low 19 Page Builder: Pagelayer – Drag and Drop website builder 400K+ · 3.9★ (104) wp.org #22 3 too low 20 Gravity Forms + Custom Post Types 10K+ · 4.4★ (46) wp.org #24 4 too low 21 EventON – Events Calendar 6K+ · 4.1★ (44) wp.org #13 ↑3 8 too high 22 Ocean Extra 400K+ · 3.3★ (67) wp.org #18 ↑2 4 too high 23 Floating Awesome Button (Sticky Button, Popup, Toast) & 200+ Website Custom Interactive Element 700+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #11 ↓1 12 too high 24 Google for WooCommerce 800K+ · 2.7★ (268) wp.org #14 ↑1 10 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.