Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

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

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 “bbps”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 of the top 20. 2 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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.

B

Ranked above its merit

bbP Auto Block Spammers shows at wp.org #6 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 12 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.

merit plugin wp.org
1 bbp style pack 6K+ · 4.9★ (100) wp.org #1 2 B bbP topic count 300+ · 5.0★ (15) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 B bbp last post 200+ · 5.0★ (10) wp.org #4 1 too low 4 B bbp profile information 100+ · 4.2★ (5) wp.org #2 2 too high 5 B bbp user ranking 200+ · 5.0★ (11) wp.org #5 6 Forumax – AI Powered Advanced Community Forum Plugin 500+ · 5.0★ (18) wp.org #9 3 too low 7 P Private groups 1K+ · 4.9★ (49) wp.org #13 6 too low 8 B bbp buddypress profile information 70+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #8 9 P Post Comments as bbPress Topics 200+ · 4.3★ (18) wp.org #14 5 too low 10 WP Notification Bell 600+ · 4.9★ (12) wp.org #18 8 too low 11 bbPress Voting 400+ · 4.7★ (10) wp.org #16 ↑1 5 too low 12 Enable bbPress for Block Themes 200+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #15 3 too low 13 Turnkey bbPress by WeaverTheme 300+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #10 3 too high 14 xili-language 600+ · 3.9★ (14) wp.org #20 6 too low 15 B bbPress – Anonymous Subscriptions 60+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #17 ↓1 2 too low 16 Comment Mention 100+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #19 3 too low 17 B bbP Signature 100+ · 2.7★ (6) wp.org #7 10 too high 18 B bbP Auto Block Spammers 50+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #6 12 too high 19 bbPress Members Only 100+ · 3.6★ (5) wp.org #21 2 too low 20 A AI Bot for bbPress — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #12 8 too high 21 bbPress forum utility pack 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #11 10 too high 22 L Like for bbPress 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 1 too low 23 BBP Improvements for yoast 30+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #24 1 too low 24 P Private forums visibility 10+ · 1.5★ (2) 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.