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

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 progress”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 of the top 20. 4 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

Awesome Coming Soon & Maintenance Mode shows at wp.org #4 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 17 places. Its 100+ 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

WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance places #9 on merit, 4.8★ from 2617 reviews, but shows at wp.org #15. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Progress Bar 1K+ · 5.0★ (24) wp.org #1 2 Otter Blocks – Gutenberg Blocks, Page Builder for Gutenberg Editor & FSE 300K+ · 4.7★ (251) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 Quiz Maker by AYS 20K+ · 4.9★ (601) wp.org #5 ↑4 2 too low 4 Ultimeter – the Ultimate Progress and Goals Meter 1K+ · 5.0★ (24) wp.org #2 2 too high 5 Stackable – Page Builder Gutenberg Blocks 100K+ · 4.9★ (522) wp.org #7 2 too low 6 Imagify Image Optimization: Optimize Images | Compress & Convert to WebP/AVIF 900K+ · 4.3★ (1656) wp.org #8 2 too low 7 ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2051) wp.org #10 ↑2 3 too low 8 Ultra Addons for Contact Form 7 60K+ · 4.8★ (107) wp.org #9 ↑1 1 too low 9 WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance 1M+ · 4.8★ (2617) wp.org #15 ↑1 6 too low 10 Orbit Fox: Duplicate Page, Menu Icons, SVG Support, Cookie Notice, Custom Fonts & More 100K+ · 4.8★ (317) wp.org #13 ↑1 3 too low 11 Progress Bar & Skill Bar 1K+ · 4.5★ (52) wp.org #11 12 Page Builder: Pagelayer – Drag and Drop website builder 400K+ · 3.9★ (104) wp.org #12 ↑1 13 Cost Calculator Builder 20K+ · 4.5★ (393) wp.org #23 10 too low 14 Read More Without Refresh 20K+ · 4.2★ (55) wp.org #14 ↑1 15 Getwid – Gutenberg Blocks 50K+ · 4.7★ (115) wp.org #20 ↑2 5 too low 16 GamiPress – Gamification plugin to reward points, badges & ranks in WordPress, now with AI 10K+ · 4.9★ (493) wp.org #24 8 too low 17 Disk Usage Sunburst 9K+ · 4.8★ (36) wp.org #17 ↑2 18 Coming soon and Maintenance mode 8K+ · 4.2★ (83) wp.org #21 ↑2 3 too low 19 Back Button Widget 4K+ · 5.0★ (10) wp.org #19 ↑1 20 Counters Block – Animated Number Counters, Stats & Dynamic KPIs 3K+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #16 ↑1 4 too high 21 Awesome Coming Soon & Maintenance Mode 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #4 17 too high 22 Magical Addons For Elementor ( Theme Builder, Header Footer Builder, Free Elementor Widgets, Elementor Templates Library ) 4K+ · 4.7★ (12) wp.org #22 ↑2 23 Bangladeshi Payments Mobile – MFS Gateway, QR Code, Advance COD Protection, Thermal POS Invoicing & WhatsApp Suite 1K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #6 17 too high 24 A Awesome Progress Bar 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #18 6 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.