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← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “bullet points”

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 “bullet points”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 14 of the top 20. 6 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

Crowdsignal Forms shows at wp.org #2 but places #13 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 200K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

PowerPack Addons for Elementor: Widgets, Form Styler and Templates places #9 on merit, 4.8★ from 361 reviews, but shows at wp.org #21. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322) wp.org #3 2 too low 2 Simple Points and Rewards for WooCommerce – Create a Loyalty Program 400+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #1 1 too high 3 Premium Addons for Elementor – AI-Ready Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates 600K+ · 4.9★ (1680) wp.org #9 6 too low 4 Smart Slider 3 800K+ · 4.9★ (1125) wp.org #8 4 too low 5 GetGenie – AI SEO Assistant & Content Writer with Keyword Research, AEO & GEO 70K+ · 4.8★ (119) wp.org #6 1 too low 6 Unlimited Elements for Elementor 300K+ · 4.8★ (525) wp.org #11 5 too low 7 PowerPack Lite for Beaver Builder 6K+ · 5.0★ (243) wp.org #15 8 too low 8 Kadence Starter Templates — Predesigned Website Templates 200K+ · 4.3★ (19) wp.org #4 4 too high 9 PowerPack Addons for Elementor: Widgets, Form Styler and Templates 70K+ · 4.8★ (361) wp.org #21 12 too low 10 List categories 5K+ · 4.5★ (15) wp.org #7 3 too high 11 Easy Table of Contents 600K+ · 4.4★ (221) wp.org #14 3 too low 12 Depicter — Popup & Slider Builder 70K+ · 4.6★ (235) wp.org #13 1 too low 13 Crowdsignal Forms 200K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #2 11 too high 14 ContentBot AI Writer (AI Content) 400+ · 4.7★ (19) wp.org #12 2 too high 15 Master Slider – Responsive Touch Slider 60K+ · 4.6★ (504) wp.org #20 5 too low 16 Item Lists for Elementor 1K+ · 4.2★ (5) wp.org #5 11 too high 17 Reviews and Rating – Google Reviews 20K+ · 4.9★ (184) wp.org #23 6 too low 18 JS Archive List 3K+ · 4.8★ (45) wp.org #22 4 too low 19 AI WP Writer – SEO content generator, chatGPT, Gemini, Claude 3K+ · 4.9★ (23) wp.org #18 1 too high 20 AffiliatePages – Pros & Cons, Notice, and CTA Blocks for Affiliates 2K+ · 4.3★ (24) wp.org #24 4 too low 21 Icon List Block – Add Icon-Based Lists with Custom Styles 4K+ · 3.7★ (6) wp.org #10 11 too high 22 Surbma | Divi Extras 1K+ · 4.0★ (4) wp.org #19 3 too high 23 Text Prompter – Unlimited chatgpt text prompts for openai tasks 70+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #17 6 too high 24 Term Description: Rich Text Editor (Powered by TinyMCE) for WooCommerce 700+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #16 8 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.