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

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 “bakery”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 of the top 20. 3 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

Advanced Ads for WPBakery Page Builder shows at wp.org #11 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 1K+ 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

Product Gallery Slider, Additional Variation Images for WooCommerce places #8 on merit, 4.6★ from 160 reviews, but shows at wp.org #14. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 All in One SEO – AI SEO Plugin to Boost SEO Rankings & Traffic (Schema, Local SEO, Sitemap & SEO Insights) 2M+ · 4.7★ (5231) wp.org #1 2 Ultimate Before After Image Slider & Gallery – BEAF 30K+ · 4.9★ (107) wp.org #2 3 Simply Schedule Appointments 50K+ · 5.0★ (155) wp.org #5 2 too low 4 Twenty20 Image Before-After 20K+ · 4.0★ (54) wp.org #4 5 Better Click To Share – Shareable Quote Boxes for X (Twitter) 6K+ · 4.8★ (48) wp.org #6 1 too low 6 Better Block Editor (BBE) 6K+ · 5.0★ (11) wp.org #3 3 too high 7 AdRotate Banner Manager 20K+ · 4.3★ (655) wp.org #8 1 too low 8 Product Gallery Slider, Additional Variation Images for WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.6★ (160) wp.org #14 6 too low 9 Cimo – Free Instant Image Optimizer & WebP Converter 10K+ · 4.9★ (20) wp.org #9 10 Image Source Control Lite – Show Image Credits and Captions 3K+ · 4.6★ (42) wp.org #10 11 Order Delivery Date for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.3★ (61) wp.org #7 4 too high 12 Category AJAX Filter – Posts, Custom Post Types & Product Filter 6K+ · 4.9★ (158) wp.org #18 ↑1 6 too low 13 WP EasyCart: Shopping Cart and eCommerce Store 3K+ · 4.5★ (206) wp.org #24 11 too low 14 Equalize Digital Accessibility Checker – WCAG, ADA, EAA and Section 508 compliance 10K+ · 4.9★ (80) wp.org #19 ↑1 5 too low 15 Dynamic Month & Year into Posts 8K+ · 5.0★ (18) wp.org #16 ↑1 1 too low 16 Unit Price for WooCommerce 900+ · 4.8★ (10) wp.org #13 3 too high 17 RestroPress – Online Food Ordering System 1K+ · 4.4★ (102) wp.org #22 ↑1 5 too low 18 Product Input Fields for WooCommerce 4K+ · 4.0★ (17) wp.org #12 6 too high 19 Shipping Zones by Drawing for WooCommerce 500+ · 4.1★ (24) wp.org #20 1 too low 20 MyD Delivery 100+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #21 1 too low 21 Advanced Ads for WPBakery Page Builder 1K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #11 10 too high 22 FoodBook Lite – Online Food Ordering System 300+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #15 7 too high 23 MyD Delivery Widgets 500+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #17 ↑1 6 too high 24 Convert WPBakery to Elementor 500+ · 3.0★ (2) 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.