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

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 “bubbles”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 15 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

GreetPlayer – Video Player, Video Bubble, Audio Player & Lead Capture shows at wp.org #7 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 100+ 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

Joinchat – Enhanced “click to chat” places #11 on merit, 4.7★ from 189 reviews, but shows at wp.org #18. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Reviews and Rating – Google Reviews 20K+ · 4.9★ (184) wp.org #3 ↓1 2 too low 2 Comments – wpDiscuz 60K+ · 4.7★ (581) wp.org #4 2 too low 3 Bubble Menu – Floating Button Menu with Sticky Navigation 1K+ · 4.2★ (9) wp.org #1 2 too high 4 Hover Effects – easily create any hover effect 7K+ · 4.8★ (17) wp.org #2 ↑1 2 too high 5 wpDataTables – WordPress Data Table, Dynamic Tables & Table Charts Plugin 60K+ · 4.5★ (449) wp.org #10 ↓1 5 too low 6 Visualizer – Tables & Charts Manager with Built-in AI Generator 20K+ · 4.4★ (225) wp.org #9 ↑3 3 too low 7 WPC Fly Cart for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.7★ (61) wp.org #12 ↑1 5 too low 8 WP Social Ninja – Embed Social Feeds, User Reviews & Chat Widgets 30K+ · 4.8★ (71) wp.org #13 ↑5 5 too low 9 Call Now Button – The Free Click to Call Button for WordPress 200K+ · 4.8★ (102) wp.org #14 5 too low 10 LIQUID SPEECH BALLOON 10K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #5 5 too high 11 Joinchat – Enhanced “click to chat” 700K+ · 4.7★ (189) wp.org #18 ↓3 7 too low 12 Ultimate Floating Widgets – Make popup sidebars 3K+ · 4.9★ (14) wp.org #8 4 too high 13 ChatHelp – Click to Chat Button, Chat to Order for WooCommerce & Floating Chat Form 2K+ · 4.4★ (9) wp.org #6 7 too high 14 Fuse Social Icons 10K+ · 4.6★ (58) wp.org #22 ↑1 8 too low 15 BNE Testimonials 1K+ · 4.9★ (28) wp.org #23 ↓1 8 too low 16 Darkify – Dark Mode & Night Mode for Website & Admin (Dark Theme Included) 1K+ · 4.7★ (27) wp.org #24 8 too low 17 Better Chat Support for Messenger 1K+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #11 ↓1 6 too high 18 GreetPlayer – Video Player, Video Bubble, Audio Player & Lead Capture 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #7 11 too high 19 Side Menu Lite – Sticky Floating Side Menu 7K+ · 4.0★ (12) wp.org #21 2 too low 20 Turn Comments Off 1K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #16 4 too high 21 ToolTips For Contact Form 7 200+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #20 1 too high 22 Smooth Custom Cursor 400+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #15 ↑2 7 too high 23 Guten-bubble 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #17 ↓6 6 too high 24 Tap Chat – Floating Contact Button 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #19 5 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.