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

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 “calculated”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 7 of the top 20. 4 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

Cost Calculator for Elementor shows at wp.org #8 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 500+ 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

Appointment Hour Booking – Booking Calendar places #5 on merit, 4.9★ from 524 reviews, but shows at wp.org #11. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Calculated Fields Form – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact, Payment, Quote, Quiz & More 40K+ · 4.9★ (973) wp.org #1 2 Formidable Forms – Contact Form, Survey, Quiz, Payment, Calculator Form & Custom Form Builder 300K+ · 4.8★ (1387) wp.org #3 ↑1 1 too low 3 Anti-Spam, Spam FireWall by CleanTalk 200K+ · 4.8★ (3220) wp.org #4 ↑1 1 too low 4 Weight Based Shipping Table Rate for WooCommerce – Flexible Shipping 100K+ · 4.9★ (706) wp.org #5 ↑1 1 too low 5 Appointment Hour Booking – Booking Calendar 10K+ · 4.9★ (524) wp.org #11 ↑1 6 too low 6 Conditional Fields for Contact Form 7 100K+ · 4.8★ (166) wp.org #6 ↓4 7 Cost Calculator for Contact Form 7 – Price Calculator Free 5K+ · 3.8★ (15) wp.org #2 ↑1 5 too high 8 Masteriyo LMS – LMS Course Builder, Quizzes & Certificates 6K+ · 4.8★ (184) wp.org #7 1 too high 9 Price Based on Country for WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.8★ (262) wp.org #10 ↓1 1 too low 10 morkva UA Shipping – Nova Poshta, Ukrposhta, Rozetka, Nova Global 1K+ · 4.9★ (29) wp.org #9 1 too high 11 Shipping Live Rates and Access Points for UPS for WooCommerce 7K+ · 4.7★ (77) wp.org #12 ↓2 1 too low 12 OMGF | GDPR/DSGVO Compliant, Faster Google Fonts. Easy. 300K+ · 4.7★ (213) wp.org #17 ↓1 5 too low 13 Weight Based Shipping for WooCommerce 50K+ · 4.6★ (83) wp.org #16 ↓1 3 too low 14 Advanced Forms for ACF 3K+ · 5.0★ (41) wp.org #15 ↓1 1 too low 15 WPC Product Bundles for WooCommerce 30K+ · 4.4★ (220) wp.org #13 ↓2 2 too high 16 AIO Forms – Craft Complex Forms Easily 600+ · 4.9★ (34) wp.org #14 ↓1 2 too high 17 Calculation for contact form 7 1K+ · 4.5★ (22) wp.org #23 ↑1 6 too low 18 CP Blocks 1K+ · 5.0★ (11) wp.org #21 ↑1 3 too low 19 USPS Simple Shipping for Woocommerce 8K+ · 4.4★ (28) wp.org #19 ↓1 20 PVB Contact Form 7 Calculator 600+ · 5.0★ (10) wp.org #22 ↑1 2 too low 21 Cost Calculator for Elementor 500+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #8 13 too high 22 Simple Mortgage Calculator 1K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #24 ↓3 2 too low 23 Shipping Live rates for Canada Post for WooCommerce 400+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #20 3 too high 24 Autocomplete for Calculated Fields Form 40+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #18 ↓1 6 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.