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

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 “branch”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 of the top 20. 3 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

SnappBox shows at wp.org #7 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 13 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

WP Store Locator places #4 on merit, 4.8★ from 312 reviews, but shows at wp.org #8. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 morkva UA Shipping – Nova Poshta, Ukrposhta, Rozetka, Nova Global 1K+ · 4.9★ (29) wp.org #1 2 MailPoet – Newsletters, Email Marketing, and Automation 500K+ · 4.4★ (1435) wp.org #2 ↓1 3 Embed PDF Viewer 20K+ · 4.7★ (19) wp.org #3 ↓1 4 WP Store Locator 40K+ · 4.8★ (312) wp.org #8 ↓2 4 too low 5 Redux Framework 900K+ · 4.4★ (273) wp.org #6 ↓2 1 too low 6 C Custom Post Type Widgets 10K+ · 4.8★ (14) wp.org #5 1 too high 7 WPCafe – Restaurant Menu, Online Food Ordering & Table Booking System 5K+ · 4.6★ (113) wp.org #10 ↓2 3 too low 8 M Multi Device Switcher 10K+ · 4.3★ (11) wp.org #4 ↓1 4 too high 9 W WP Auto Updater 7K+ · 4.6★ (10) wp.org #9 ↓2 10 WP Debugging 10K+ · 5.0★ (21) wp.org #11 ↓2 1 too low 11 D Dropdown Multisite Selector 900+ · 5.0★ (19) wp.org #23 ↓1 12 too low 12 TelSender – Сontact form 7, Events, Wpforms, ninja forms and woocommerce to telegram bot 5K+ · 5.0★ (13) wp.org #20 ↓4 8 too low 13 Counting Number Block 2K+ · 5.0★ (9) wp.org #17 ↓2 4 too low 14 Branded Social Images – Open Graph Images with logo and extra text layer 900+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #13 ↓2 1 too high 15 L Local Development 90+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #24 ↓5 9 too low 16 Melhor Envio 10K+ · 2.2★ (59) wp.org #14 2 too high 17 VK Dynamic If Block 4K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #12 ↓2 5 too high 18 RestroFood Lite – Online Food Ordering and Restaurant Management Plugin For WooCommerce 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #15 ↓2 3 too high 19 KineticHub – Animated Blocks 200+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #18 ↓1 1 too high 20 SnappBox 400+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #7 13 too high 21 Meow Workflow – AI Agents & No-Code Automation for WordPress 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #22 ↓1 1 too low 22 Multi Branch for WooCommerce 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #19 ↓1 3 too high 23 E Editor Bridge 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #16 ↓2 7 too high 24 Parse.ly 1K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #21 ↓1 3 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.