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

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 “capitalization”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 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.

A

Ranked above its merit

Auto Image Title & Alt shows at wp.org #6 but places #12 on merit, a gap of 6 places. Its 400+ 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

Classic Editor places #6 on merit, 4.9★ from 1251 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 Email Templates Customizer and Designer for WordPress and WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.6★ (133) wp.org #1 2 PW WooCommerce Bulk Edit 20K+ · 4.9★ (238) wp.org #2 3 HTML Page Sitemap (Block and Shortcode) 10K+ · 4.4★ (24) wp.org #3 4 Cryptocurrency Widgets Pack 600+ · 4.8★ (28) wp.org #4 5 T Tooltips for WordPress 5K+ · 3.8★ (75) wp.org #9 4 too low 6 Classic Editor 8M+ · 4.9★ (1251) wp.org #21 ↓2 15 too low 7 Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408) wp.org #19 ↑4 12 too low 8 Custom Post Type UI 1M+ · 4.6★ (276) wp.org #18 ↑6 10 too low 9 Disabler 900+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #5 4 too high 10 Text Replace – Find and Replace WordPress Strings 300+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #7 3 too high 11 Auto Capitalize & UPPERCASE Names and Addresses 50+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #8 3 too high 12 A Auto Image Title & Alt 400+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #6 6 too high 13 Capitalize My Title WordPress Plugin 90+ · 3.7★ (3) wp.org #12 1 too high 14 WordPass 30+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #11 ↓1 3 too high 15 Super SEO Content Cloner 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #10 ↑1 5 too high 16 Nucleus Audio Playlist 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #13 3 too high 17 Uplink Unified Ops Center 40+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #14 3 too high 18 Auto Alt Text From File Name – Made by Saad 50+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #15 3 too high 19 Simpli Auto Alt Text — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 2 too high 20 CHEQ Enforce — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 ↓2 21 Filtrex — SEO Product Filters for WooCommerce — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #16 5 too high 22 KuLoan Ledger — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 ↓2 23 XML Sitemap to HTML — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 ↓2 24 Crypto Price Widgets – Live Cryptocurrency Prices by CoinLore — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #24 ↓2

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.