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

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 “axe”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 7 of the top 20. 1 plugin is 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

Chartsy shows at wp.org #4 but places #9 on merit, a gap of 5 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

Groundhogg — CRM, Newsletters, and Marketing Automation places #6 on merit, 4.8★ from 150 reviews, but shows at wp.org #11. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Responsive Menu – Mobile Menu & Hamburger Menu Builder 70K+ · 4.5★ (574) wp.org #2 1 too low 2 WP Updates Notifier 20K+ · 4.2★ (35) wp.org #1 1 too high 3 AnimateGL – WebGL & CSS Scroll Animations and Hover Effects for Gutenberg and Elementor 2K+ · 5.0★ (22) wp.org #3 4 Visualizer – Tables & Charts Manager with Built-in AI Generator 20K+ · 4.4★ (225) wp.org #6 2 too low 5 Webyx for Gutenberg – Fullpage Fullscreen Scrolling Websites 600+ · 4.8★ (53) wp.org #7 2 too low 6 Groundhogg — CRM, Newsletters, and Marketing Automation 2K+ · 4.8★ (150) wp.org #11 5 too low 7 Webyx for Elementor – Fullpage Fullscreen Scrolling Websites 500+ · 5.0★ (16) wp.org #8 1 too low 8 Ninja Charts – Interactive Charts and Graphs 3K+ · 3.0★ (6) wp.org #5 3 too high 9 Chartsy 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #4 5 too high 10 Flinkform – GDPR Contact Form Builder for the Block Editor 40+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #14 ↓1 4 too low 11 Opace Essential SEO Toolkit & SEO Audit Tool 60+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #10 1 too high 12 DSGN Accessibility Audit and Statement 20+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #9 3 too high 13 Everyone Accessibility Suite – Free WCAG Accessibility Widget & Toolkit 80+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #13 ↓1 14 Libration Accessibility Widget, Checker and Real Code Fixes – WCAG and EAA 20+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #12 ↓1 2 too high 15 AcceGuru – Accessibility Scanner, Auto-Fixer & AI Alt Text 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #16 ↓1 1 too low 16 Handrail Accessibility Widget 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 ↓1 1 too low 17 Typography Stylist 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #19 ↓1 2 too low 18 ProRank SEO 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #15 ↓1 3 too high 19 AccessMate – Accessibility Scanner with AI Suggestions and Lightweight Toolbar. WCAG, ADA & EAA 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 ↓1 1 too low 20 AccessKit – Accessibility Options Toolbar 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 ↓1 1 too low 21 Viniideas Accessibility Content Assistant — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 1 too low 22 Audita11y – Accessibility Auditor for WooCommerce — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 ↓2 1 too low 23 WebPossum — WCAG Accessibility Scanner — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #18 ↓1 5 too high 24 Land Tech Accessibility Scanner — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #24 ↓2

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.