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

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 “captioning”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 15 of the top 20. 3 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

CaptionPix shows at wp.org #16 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 100+ 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

ShortPixel Image Optimizer – Optimize Images, Convert WebP & AVIF places #3 on merit, 4.5★ from 830 reviews, but shows at wp.org #12. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Embed Plus for YouTube Gallery, Livestream and Lazy Loading with Facades 100K+ · 4.6★ (572) wp.org #1 2 Presto Player 100K+ · 4.8★ (346) wp.org #8 ↓2 6 too low 3 ShortPixel Image Optimizer – Optimize Images, Convert WebP & AVIF 300K+ · 4.5★ (830) wp.org #12 ↓2 9 too low 4 Offload, AI & Optimize with Cloudflare Images 1K+ · 4.9★ (33) wp.org #10 ↓2 6 too low 5 Bulk Export Import Images SEO Attributes 20+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #2 3 too high 6 Editoria11y Accessibility Checker 1K+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #11 ↓2 5 too low 7 Simple Podcasting 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #3 ↓1 4 too high 8 Smart Local AI – Related Posts, AI Alt Text & Personalized Recommendations — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #4 ↓1 4 too high 9 AiGude Tools — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #5 ↓1 4 too high 10 Web Wonderland SEO Image Optimiser — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #6 ↓1 4 too high 11 Captionwright – AI Video Captions, Subtitles & Transcripts — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #7 4 too high 12 ADA Compliance Guardian — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #9 ↓2 3 too high 13 E Embed Piwigo 100+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #20 ↓2 7 too low 14 N NextGen NivoSlider 200+ · 3.5★ (8) wp.org #21 ↓1 7 too low 15 Digital Samba Embedded Video Conferencing 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #13 ↓2 2 too high 16 WunderPaint – The Dynamic Design and Automation Studio 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 ↓2 1 too low 17 MontraFolio — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #18 ↓2 1 too low 18 Double Youpï Refined Media Library – Media Folders, Collections & WebP 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #14 ↓2 4 too high 19 SignSealer — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #19 ↓2 20 A AWSOM Pixgallery 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #15 ↓2 5 too high 21 L LOLPress — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 ↓1 1 too low 22 B Bitvolution Image Galleria 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 ↓4 1 too low 23 D Display CPG Thumbnails 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #24 ↓1 1 too low 24 CaptionPix 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #16 ↓2 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.