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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “browser support”

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 “browser support”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 14 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

Browser Theme Color – Address Bar Color & Dark Mode shows at wp.org #8 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 2K+ 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 Fastest Cache – WordPress Cache Plugin places #11 on merit, 4.9★ from 4229 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 SVG Support 1M+ · 4.8★ (356) wp.org #1 2 Prevent Browser Caching 10K+ · 4.9★ (29) wp.org #2 3 LiteSpeed Cache 7M+ · 4.8★ (2778) wp.org #7 ↑2 4 too low 4 Leverage Browser Caching 9K+ · 4.1★ (42) wp.org #3 ↑1 1 too high 5 Translate WordPress with GTranslate 900K+ · 4.9★ (4962) wp.org #9 ↓2 4 too low 6 Awesome Support – WordPress HelpDesk & Support Plugin 6K+ · 3.5★ (194) wp.org #5 1 too high 7 Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7520) wp.org #14 ↓1 7 too low 8 3CX Free Live Chat, Calls & Messaging 100K+ · 4.6★ (820) wp.org #13 ↑1 5 too low 9 Majestic Support – The Leading-Edge Help Desk & Customer Support Plugin 3K+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #4 ↓1 5 too high 10 Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ · 4.7★ (1667) wp.org #16 ↑6 6 too low 11 WP Fastest Cache – WordPress Cache Plugin 1M+ · 4.9★ (4229) wp.org #24 ↓1 13 too low 12 JS Help Desk – AI-Powered Support & Ticketing System 7K+ · 3.7★ (74) wp.org #10 2 too high 13 HEIC Support 4K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #6 7 too high 14 WP BrowserUpdate 1K+ · 4.6★ (16) wp.org #19 ↓1 5 too low 15 Better Chat Support for Messenger 1K+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #12 3 too high 16 Squeeze – Browser-Based Image Compression & WebP Converter (No API, No Limits) 3K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #22 ↓2 6 too low 17 Resolai – AI Chatbot for Customer Support 300+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #20 3 too low 18 WPChat – Live Chat & Messaging Widget for Customer Support 6K+ · 4.5★ (2) wp.org #11 7 too high 19 Browser Theme Color – Address Bar Color & Dark Mode 2K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #8 11 too high 20 Better RTL Support 200+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #18 ↓1 2 too high 21 Browser Address Bar Color 300+ · 4.5★ (2) wp.org #21 ↓2 22 W WPG Detect Browser 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #15 7 too high 23 Glow: maintenance & support management for agencies 800+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #17 ↓1 6 too high 24 WP Supra – Maintenance & Support Utilities 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #23 ↓2 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.