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

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 “bolt”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 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 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

HTML Page Publisher shows at wp.org #7 but places #13 on merit, a gap of 6 places. Its 500+ 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

Oliver POS – WooCommerce POS for iPhone, iPad & Android places #8 on merit, 4.2★ from 90 reviews, but shows at wp.org #17. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 ThirstyAffiliates – Affiliate Links, Link Branding, Link Tracking & Marketing Plugin 30K+ · 4.6★ (251) wp.org #5 4 too low 2 Backup Bolt – Lightweight Backup, Fast WordPress Backup to ZIP 800+ · 4.7★ (13) wp.org #2 ↓1 3 Bolt CTA Button – Floating Call Button for WordPress 2K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #1 ↑1 2 too high 4 W WP-SCSS 40K+ · 4.3★ (61) wp.org #6 ↑1 2 too low 5 InstaWP Connect – 1-click WP Staging & Migration 40K+ · 4.5★ (12) wp.org #4 1 too high 6 Uncanny Automator – AI + Automation for WordPress | AI Agent, AI Page Builder, Free AI Usage Included 40K+ · 4.9★ (157) wp.org #11 5 too low 7 Bolt Checkout for WooCommerce 100+ · 3.0★ (10) wp.org #3 4 too high 8 Oliver POS – WooCommerce POS for iPhone, iPad & Android 700+ · 4.2★ (90) wp.org #17 9 too low 9 Quick Download Button 1K+ · 4.6★ (12) wp.org #13 4 too low 10 M Magic the Gathering Card Tooltips 100+ · 4.2★ (6) wp.org #8 2 too high 11 BoltAudit – Site Speed Audit and Performance Insights 90+ · 4.6★ (9) wp.org #12 1 too low 12 Mergado Pack 700+ · 3.6★ (17) wp.org #10 2 too high 13 HTML Page Publisher 500+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #7 ↓1 6 too high 14 Á Árukereső for WooCommerce 200+ · 3.4★ (5) wp.org #9 5 too high 15 Optimal State – Advanced Optimization, Performance & Security Suite 30+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #19 4 too low 16 NIBWP – Self-Hosted MCP Server – Connect Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor & Any AI Agent via MCP 300+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #16 17 Blueternal BOLT Security Toolkit — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #15 2 too high 18 Element451 Integration 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #18 19 BOLT AI Features — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #14 5 too high 20 Ardatech Bridgehead 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 21 VoxBolt – AI Chatbot & Business AI Brain — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 22 TeamGraph – Org Chart & Team Directory 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 23 Cards in Brackets – Blocks for MTG — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 24 99Forms — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #24

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.