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← Rankings

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

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 “brainstorming”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 of the top 20. 1 plugin is 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.

Ranked above its merit

Questiory shows at wp.org #7 but places #12 on merit, a gap of 5 places. Its — 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 AutoWP – AI Content Writer & Rewriter 900+ · 3.8★ (15) wp.org #3 ↑1 2 too low 2 Trendly AI Post – AI Content Generator, ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and Google News Auto Blog 50+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #4 ↑1 2 too low 3 Outrank 1K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #1 ↑1 2 too high 4 Bramework 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #2 ↑1 2 too high 5 Mypage SEO Content Studio 10+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #5 ↑1 6 Riddle Quiz Maker – easily add quizzes with unlimited lead generation to your site 200+ · 4.6★ (9) wp.org #17 ↑1 11 too low 7 Worthy – VG WORT Integration für WordPress 1K+ · 4.1★ (12) wp.org #18 ↑1 11 too low 8 Serve Static – Automatic WordPress Static Page generator 90+ · 4.4★ (9) wp.org #20 ↑1 12 too low 9 NinjaDraw – Diagram, Flowchart, Mind Map & Sketching Tool 70+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #6 ↑1 3 too high 10 Mind – AI Page Builder 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #8 ↑1 2 too high 11 Ideom — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #9 ↑1 2 too high 12 Questiory — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #7 ↑1 5 too high 13 B BP Groups Suggestions 30+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #15 ↑1 2 too low 14 XealBrax AI Auto Blogging Engine — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #10 ↑1 4 too high 15 N Nordic Standard Admin Chat for ChatGPT — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #11 ↑2 4 too high 16 RankPeak — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #12 ↑2 4 too high 17 Renas AI – AI Content Generator, Blog Writer, Image Creator & Chatbot — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #13 ↑2 4 too high 18 Quick Web Notes — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #16 ↑1 2 too high 19 PageTest.ai – AI-Powered A/B and Multivariate Testing for WordPress 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #14 ↓2 5 too high 20 Content Automation Toolkit — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #19 ↑1 1 too high 21 Business Canvas Model 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 ↑1

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.