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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “body class”

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 “body class”, 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 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

Body Class By URL Parameter shows at wp.org #2 but places #17 on merit, a gap of 15 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

Tutor LMS – eLearning and online course solution places #10 on merit, 4.4★ from 590 reviews, but shows at wp.org #24. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 C Custom Body Class 10K+ · 5.0★ (21) wp.org #1 2 Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423) wp.org #4 2 too low 3 The Events Calendar 600K+ · 4.2★ (2461) wp.org #7 4 too low 4 Ad Inserter – Ad Manager & AdSense Ads 300K+ · 4.9★ (2433) wp.org #10 ↑3 6 too low 5 Infinity23 (Formerly Tag Manager) – One Plugin That Replaces All The Rest 20K+ · 4.7★ (53) wp.org #5 6 CSS Class Manager – An advanced autocomplete additional css class control for your blocks 500+ · 5.0★ (12) wp.org #3 3 too high 7 Head & Footer Code 100K+ · 5.0★ (51) wp.org #11 ↓1 4 too low 8 Click to Chat – HoliThemes 600K+ · 4.8★ (131) wp.org #12 ↓1 4 too low 9 I iframe 60K+ · 4.4★ (56) wp.org #15 6 too low 10 Tutor LMS – eLearning and online course solution 100K+ · 4.4★ (590) wp.org #24 ↓2 14 too low 11 Geolocation IP Detection 20K+ · 4.7★ (59) wp.org #19 8 too low 12 Featured Images in RSS for Mailchimp & More 20K+ · 4.3★ (113) wp.org #21 9 too low 13 WPMasterToolKit (WPMTK) – All in one plugin 5K+ · 5.0★ (28) wp.org #17 ↑1 4 too low 14 Dark Mode for WP Dashboard 3K+ · 4.8★ (34) wp.org #18 ↓2 4 too low 15 SlickNav Mobile Menu 3K+ · 4.8★ (24) wp.org #22 ↑1 7 too low 16 Gym Builder – Class Timetable & Booking for Gyms, Fitness & Yoga Studios 100+ · 5.0★ (10) wp.org #16 ↑1 17 Body Class By URL Parameter 50+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #2 15 too high 18 HTML Tag and Class Replace 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #6 12 too high 19 Metronet Tag Manager 20K+ · 4.8★ (8) wp.org #20 1 too low 20 Confirm Theme Structure 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #14 6 too high 21 Insert Body Class Plugin for WordPress 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #9 12 too high 22 Change class in viewport: create animations with pure CSS 60+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #8 14 too high 23 W WPG Detect Browser 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #13 ↓1 10 too high 24 JSM file_get_contents() Shortcode 300+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #23 ↑1 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.