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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “ays pro”

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

Image Slider by Ays- Responsive Slider and Carousel shows at wp.org #10 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 50+ 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

Uncanny Automator – AI + Automation for WordPress | AI Agent, AI Page Builder, Free AI Usage Included places #9 on merit, 4.9★ from 157 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 Quiz Maker by AYS 20K+ · 4.9★ (601) wp.org #1 2 Popup Box – Create Countdown, Coupon, Video, Contact Form Popups 50K+ · 4.6★ (82) wp.org #2 3 Survey Maker by AYS 5K+ · 4.8★ (79) wp.org #3 4 Secure Copy Content Protection and Content Locking 20K+ · 4.3★ (62) wp.org #5 1 too low 5 Poll Maker by AYS – Versus Polls, Anonymous Polls, Image Polls 6K+ · 4.4★ (91) wp.org #6 1 too low 6 AI ChatBot with ChatGPT and Content Generator by AYS 300+ · 5.0★ (9) wp.org #4 2 too high 7 Photo Gallery by Ays – Responsive Image Gallery 1K+ · 4.8★ (19) wp.org #7 8 Chartify – WordPress Chart Plugin 3K+ · 4.9★ (28) wp.org #11 ↓1 3 too low 9 Uncanny Automator – AI + Automation for WordPress | AI Agent, AI Page Builder, Free AI Usage Included 40K+ · 4.9★ (157) wp.org #19 10 too low 10 Free Shipping Bar: Amount Left for Free Shipping for WooCommerce 2K+ · 5.0★ (26) wp.org #18 8 too low 11 Fox LMS – eLearning & Course Builder 60+ · 5.0★ (19) wp.org #17 6 too low 12 Random Posts and Pages Widget 1K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #8 4 too high 13 Personal Dictionary – Vocabulary Games, Memory Games 60+ · 4.8★ (8) wp.org #14 1 too low 14 Popup Like box – Page Plugin 100+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #12 2 too high 15 WebFacing™ – Email Accounts management for cPanel® 100+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #20 5 too low 16 FAQ Builder AYS 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #9 7 too high 17 Easy Form 100+ · 4.2★ (5) wp.org #16 1 too high 18 Advanced Related Posts 300+ · 4.0★ (4) wp.org #13 5 too high 19 Zeno – AI-Powered Chatbot 10+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #22 3 too low 20 Image Slider by Ays- Responsive Slider and Carousel 50+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #10 ↑1 10 too high 21 MTLS Centerwise (For Quiz Maker) — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 22 K Kıdem Tazminatı Hesaplama Aracı — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #24 2 too low 23 Portfolio Responsive Gallery 200+ · 3.0★ (2) wp.org #15 8 too high 24 WP FOFT Loader 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 1 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.