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

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 “buzz”, we agree with wp.org 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

Card Elements for WPBakery shows at wp.org #4 but places #11 on merit, a gap of 7 places. Its 500+ 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

W3 Total Cache places #5 on merit, 4.4★ from 5420 reviews, but shows at wp.org #20. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Hover Effects – easily create any hover effect 7K+ · 4.8★ (17) wp.org #1 2 Ultimate Post Kit – Elementor Post Grid, Post Carousel, Post Slider & Blog Layout Widgets 30K+ · 4.8★ (58) wp.org #2 3 Finale Lite – Sales Countdown Timer & Discount for WooCommerce 3K+ · 4.7★ (151) wp.org #5 2 too low 4 Disable XML-RPC Pingback 60K+ · 3.9★ (14) wp.org #3 1 too high 5 W3 Total Cache 900K+ · 4.4★ (5420) wp.org #20 15 too low 6 Social Media Widget 30K+ · 3.9★ (84) wp.org #14 ↓1 8 too low 7 Riddle Quiz Maker – easily add quizzes with unlimited lead generation to your site 200+ · 4.6★ (9) wp.org #8 1 too low 8 Widgets for Yelp Reviews 3K+ · 3.8★ (10) wp.org #7 1 too high 9 ExpressTechSoftwares Addon for MemberPress and Discord 100+ · 4.5★ (8) wp.org #10 ↓1 1 too low 10 CTA Button Styler 400+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #6 4 too high 11 Card Elements for WPBakery 500+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #4 7 too high 12 Bug Animation 10+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #9 ↑1 3 too high 13 HexCoupon – Advanced Tools for WooCommerce Coupons, BOGO, Store Credit, Loyalty Programs, and More — · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #22 9 too low 14 Socialize 200+ · 4.3★ (6) wp.org #24 10 too low 15 ChatLab – AI Chatbot for WordPress and WooCommerce 200+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #12 ↓1 3 too high 16 CampaignBay – Automated Discount Campaigns & Flash Sales for WooCommerce 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #11 ↑3 5 too high 17 Memory Match Marketing Game for WooCommerce — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #16 1 too high 18 Adanos Market Sentiment Widgets — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 1 too high 19 E EX Kinetic Typography for Elementor — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #18 1 too high 20 Sparkle Demo Importer 5K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #13 ↓1 7 too high 21 Coming Soon & Maintenance Mode — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #19 2 too high 22 SuperBuzz 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #15 7 too high 23 MyLiveCart — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 2 too high 24 Ultimate Product Options For WooCommerce — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 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.