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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “basic plugin”

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 “basic plugin”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 15 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

Laposta Signup Basic shows at wp.org #6 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 14 places. Its 2K+ 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

Photo Gallery, Sliders, Proofing and Themes – NextGEN Gallery places #12 on merit, 4.3★ from 4342 reviews, but shows at wp.org #23. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 MxChat – AI Chatbot & Content Generation for WordPress 2K+ · 5.0★ (31) wp.org #1 ↑1 2 Business Directory Plugin – Easy Listing & Member Directories for WordPress 10K+ · 4.6★ (504) wp.org #2 ↑1 3 WP STAGING – Backups & Restore, Migration & Clone Plugin – Cloud Backups, Scheduled Backups 100K+ · 4.8★ (2470) wp.org #11 ↑1 8 too low 4 GTM4WP – A Google Tag Manager (GTM) plugin for WordPress 700K+ · 4.5★ (155) wp.org #7 ↑1 3 too low 5 W WPJAM Basic 4K+ · 3.8★ (32) wp.org #4 ↑1 1 too high 6 Plugin Notes Plus 9K+ · 5.0★ (62) wp.org #9 ↑1 3 too low 7 Independent Analytics – WordPress Analytics Plugin 100K+ · 4.8★ (167) wp.org #12 ↑3 5 too low 8 GeoDirectory – WP Business Directory Plugin and Classified Listings Directory 10K+ · 4.8★ (716) wp.org #16 ↑3 8 too low 9 Smash Balloon Social Photo Feed – Easy Social Feeds Plugin 1M+ · 4.9★ (4358) wp.org #18 9 too low 10 WP Basic Authentication 2K+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #3 ↑1 7 too high 11 Plugin Check (PCP) 10K+ · 4.5★ (36) wp.org #8 ↑1 3 too high 12 Photo Gallery, Sliders, Proofing and Themes – NextGEN Gallery 300K+ · 4.3★ (4342) wp.org #23 ↓2 11 too low 13 wpDataTables – WordPress Data Table, Dynamic Tables & Table Charts Plugin 60K+ · 4.5★ (449) wp.org #21 ↑2 8 too low 14 WP-Members Membership Plugin 50K+ · 4.6★ (272) wp.org #24 10 too low 15 Basic Google Maps Placemarks 2K+ · 4.4★ (51) wp.org #17 ↑3 2 too low 16 ELEX WooCommerce Bulk Edit Products, Prices & Attributes (Basic) 4K+ · 3.7★ (25) wp.org #15 ↑2 1 too high 17 Plugin Compatibility Checker 9K+ · 4.2★ (12) wp.org #13 ↑1 4 too high 18 B Basic URL ShortCodes 4K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #5 ↑1 13 too high 19 WP ADA Compliance Check Basic 2K+ · 4.5★ (8) wp.org #14 ↓1 5 too high 20 Laposta Signup Basic 2K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #6 ↑1 14 too high 21 Easy Basic Authentication – Add basic auth to site or admin area 800+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #10 ↑1 11 too high 22 Basic Security: Prevent Cross Site Scripting 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #19 ↑3 3 too high 23 Basic Banner 50+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #20 ↑4 3 too high 24 Watso – Basic Help Chat Button 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #22 2 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.