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

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 “buffer”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 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

WSA – Website Accelerator Cache Purge shows at wp.org #7 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 14 places. Its 200+ 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

Booking for Appointments and Events Calendar – Amelia places #7 on merit, 4.6★ from 793 reviews, but shows at wp.org #13. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Social Media Auto Poster – Schedule & Publish to Buffer 7K+ · 4.5★ (125) wp.org #1 2 Events Manager – Calendar, Bookings, Tickets, Appointments and more! 60K+ · 4.2★ (551) wp.org #2 3 Social Media Share Buttons & Social Sharing Icons 100K+ · 4.8★ (5333) wp.org #6 ↓1 3 too low 4 Shariff Wrapper 30K+ · 4.9★ (101) wp.org #4 5 MaxButtons – Create buttons 70K+ · 4.9★ (1093) wp.org #8 ↑4 3 too low 6 JSM Force HTTP to HTTPS / SSL – No Setup, Fast and Reliable 7K+ · 5.0★ (13) wp.org #3 3 too high 7 Booking for Appointments and Events Calendar – Amelia 90K+ · 4.6★ (793) wp.org #13 ↑6 6 too low 8 WPTerm 4K+ · 5.0★ (15) wp.org #5 ↑1 3 too high 9 Nelio Content – Editorial Calendar & Social Media Auto-Posting 3K+ · 4.4★ (104) wp.org #9 ↑2 10 Featured Images in RSS for Mailchimp & More 20K+ · 4.3★ (113) wp.org #12 ↑1 2 too low 11 Social Share Buttons 1K+ · 4.8★ (28) wp.org #10 1 too high 12 Cresta Social Share Counter 2K+ · 4.8★ (55) wp.org #14 ↓5 2 too low 13 Easy Appointment Booking & Scheduling Plugin – Webba Booking Calendar 2K+ · 4.9★ (159) wp.org #21 ↑1 8 too low 14 Fluent Booking – The Ultimate Appointments Scheduling, Events Booking, Events Calendar Solution 20K+ · 4.7★ (46) wp.org #17 3 too low 15 Availability Datepicker – Booking Calendar for Contact Form 7 – Input WP 10K+ · 4.1★ (42) wp.org #19 ↓4 4 too low 16 Social Rocket – Social Sharing Plugin 1K+ · 5.0★ (12) wp.org #16 17 Koalendar – Easy Appointment Scheduling & Booking Plugin 1K+ · 5.0★ (9) wp.org #20 ↓2 3 too low 18 OPcache Manager 2K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #15 ↑5 3 too high 19 Unagi 800+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #11 ↓3 8 too high 20 Whitespace Fixer for XML Sitemap 300+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #18 ↓4 2 too high 21 WSA – Website Accelerator Cache Purge 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #7 14 too high 22 Init View Count – AI-Powered, Trending, REST API 80+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #23 1 too low 23 Twice Commerce – Easy Rental Booking System 300+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #24 ↓1 1 too low 24 Be Boost 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 ↓1 2 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.