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

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 “buddy”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 of the top 20. 2 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

FrontPage Buddy – Custom landing pages for members, groups and profiles shows at wp.org #12 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 30+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Orion SMS OTP Verification. places #5 on merit, 4.8★ from 119 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 BuddyPress Builder for Elementor – BuddyBuilder 1K+ · 4.6★ (57) wp.org #4 3 too low 2 Buying Buddy IDX CRM – Real Estate MLS Plugin 500+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #1 1 too high 3 Buddy Notification Bell 100+ · 4.7★ (14) wp.org #3 4 SQL Buddy – Database Management Made Easy 5K+ · 5.0★ (14) wp.org #5 1 too low 5 Orion SMS OTP Verification. 200+ · 4.8★ (119) wp.org #14 9 too low 6 Next Active Directory Integration 2K+ · 4.8★ (16) wp.org #7 1 too low 7 Travel Buddy 60+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #2 5 too high 8 Icon Element – Icon Pack for Elementor Page Builder (6718 icons) 40K+ · 4.4★ (7) wp.org #6 2 too high 9 Password Policy Manager 6K+ · 4.4★ (14) wp.org #10 1 too low 10 Virtual Classroom & Video Conferencing – BigBlueButton 400+ · 4.6★ (10) wp.org #13 3 too low 11 BuddyPress & BuddyBoss Member Profile Forms 300+ · 3.9★ (21) wp.org #15 4 too low 12 Add From Server Lite 4K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #8 4 too high 13 TopBar Buddy 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #9 4 too high 14 SEO Buddy AI Engine 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #11 3 too high 15 Broadcast Buddy — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #16 1 too low 16 R RangerHQ Buddy — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 1 too low 17 Bible Buddy 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #18 1 too low 18 Admin Buddy — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #19 1 too low 19 Treder Shop Buddy — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 1 too low 20 FrontPage Buddy – Custom landing pages for members, groups and profiles 30+ · 4.0★ (1) wp.org #12 8 too high 21 Serkify Clean Buddy — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 ↓1 1 too low 22 Share It for All Users on BuddyPress YR 10+ · 4.0★ (1) wp.org #21 ↓1 1 too high 23 Wbcom Designs – BuddyPress Post from Anywhere 80+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #23 ↑2 24 Easy Disable Source, No Right-click, Image protection and Content Protection 40+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #24

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.