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

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 “boundary”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 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

SnappBox shows at wp.org #8 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 400+ 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

Live Composer – Free WordPress Website Builder places #7 on merit, 4.4★ from 212 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 bbPress 100K+ · 3.9★ (343) wp.org #1 2 Post Type Switcher 200K+ · 4.8★ (255) wp.org #2 3 Activity Log – Monitor User and Agent Changes 200K+ · 4.3★ (74) wp.org #3 4 Booster for WooCommerce – PDF Invoices, Abandoned Cart, Variation Swatches & 100+ Tools 30K+ · 4.6★ (535) wp.org #6 ↓1 2 too low 5 Sticky Header Effects for Elementor 300K+ · 4.5★ (69) wp.org #5 ↑1 6 Mapster WP Maps 3K+ · 4.9★ (54) wp.org #9 ↓2 3 too low 7 Live Composer – Free WordPress Website Builder 10K+ · 4.4★ (212) wp.org #14 ↓1 7 too low 8 Waymark 900+ · 5.0★ (54) wp.org #11 3 too low 9 Ad Invalid Click Protector (AICP) 10K+ · 4.7★ (62) wp.org #13 ↓1 4 too low 10 Open User Map – Interactive Leaflet Maps 10K+ · 5.0★ (70) wp.org #16 ↑2 6 too low 11 Advanced Datepicker – Restrict Date for Elementor Forms 900+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #4 7 too high 12 Add From Server Lite 4K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #7 ↑1 5 too high 13 Link Manager – Analyze, Automate, and Monitor Links 1K+ · 4.4★ (10) wp.org #10 3 too high 14 Grids: Layout builder for WordPress 2K+ · 5.0★ (21) wp.org #23 ↓1 9 too low 15 WPKoi Templates for Elementor 5K+ · 4.6★ (19) wp.org #19 ↓2 4 too low 16 Dynamic ACF Repeater for Elementor 1K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #15 ↓1 1 too high 17 ConvertNow Analytics: Website Stats, Visitor Statistics, AI Traffic and Bot Filtering 70+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #24 7 too low 18 WP Global Site Tag 7K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #12 ↓1 6 too high 19 SnappBox 400+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #8 ↑1 11 too high 20 neo Alt – AI Alt Text Generator for images with bulk processing – Free and No API Key Required 200+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #18 ↑1 2 too high 21 Treweler Map Builder 80+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #17 ↓2 4 too high 22 A little more secure 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #20 ↓4 2 too high 23 Survey Form Block 500+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #21 ↓1 2 too high 24 Fluid Design System for Elementor 300+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #22 ↓1 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.