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

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 “babel”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 of the top 20.

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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.

Ranked above its merit

Fediverse Embeds shows at wp.org #4 but places #15 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 60+ 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

Kali Forms — Contact Form & Drag-and-Drop Builder places #4 on merit, 4.8★ from 89 reviews, but shows at wp.org #9. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Boxtal – Shipping solution 9K+ · 4.0★ (46) wp.org #1 2 Disable Comments 1M+ · 4.7★ (281) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 La Poste Pro Expéditions WooCommerce 2K+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #2 1 too high 4 Kali Forms — Contact Form & Drag-and-Drop Builder 10K+ · 4.8★ (89) wp.org #9 5 too low 5 Video Player Block – play videos beautifully on any device 2K+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #5 6 Popups for WooCommerce: Add to Cart, Checkout & More 2K+ · 4.8★ (12) wp.org #6 7 WP Fastest Site Search 100+ · 5.0★ (27) wp.org #11 ↑2 4 too low 8 Schema Package – Structured Data & Rich Snippets Tool for SEO 200+ · 4.8★ (20) wp.org #18 ↓1 10 too low 9 Affiliates for WooCommerce – Affiliate Program, Referral Tracking & Commission Payouts 300+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #12 3 too low 10 Text Typing – grab attention with animated typing headlines 3K+ · 3.8★ (6) wp.org #8 2 too high 11 GoodMeet – Meetings & Classes for Google Meet 80+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #14 3 too low 12 Video Gallery Block – showcase your videos in a filterable gallery 1K+ · 4.2★ (6) wp.org #13 ↓3 1 too low 13 LoyaltyX – Loyalty Program, Points and Rewards for WooCommerce 20+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #21 ↓2 8 too low 14 Image Gallery Block – Showcase Photos in Stunning Responsive Grids 2K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #7 7 too high 15 Fediverse Embeds 60+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #4 11 too high 16 ZooMeet – Meeting & Webinar Integration for Zoom 20+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #16 17 MultiPOS – Point of Sale (POS) for WooCommerce, Barcode Scanner & Cash Register 10+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #23 6 too low 18 Admin Safety Guard — Login Security, Limit Logins, 2FA & Brute Force Protection 20+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #24 ↓3 6 too low 19 Pixelgrade Assistant 2K+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #10 ↑1 9 too high 20 Bob Go Smart Shipping for WooCommerce 800+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #15 ↓1 5 too high 21 Wizybot 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 ↓2 1 too high 22 Hero Section for Block Editor 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 ↓2 23 BoardScribe – Accessible Board Meeting Agendas and Minutes 30+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #19 ↓4 4 too high 24 Instant AI Image Generator – Create & Import Images 900+ · 3.0★ (2) wp.org #17 ↓1 7 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.