wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “carrots”
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 “carrots”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 5 of the top 14. 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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.
Buried gem
User Registration & Membership – Free & Paid Memberships, Subscriptions, Content Restriction, User Profile, Custom User Registration & Login Builder places #2 on merit, 4.8★ from 832 reviews, but shows at wp.org #6. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Terms descriptions 1K+ · 4.9★ (10) thin reviews
wp.org #1 2 User Registration & Membership – Free & Paid Memberships, Subscriptions, Content Restriction, User Profile, Custom User Registration & Login Builder 50K+ · 4.8★ (832)
wp.org #6 ↓1 4 too low 3 
Copyright AI Content Licensing – Block AI Crawlers + Get Paid 30+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviewslow rating, top placement
wp.org #2 1 too high 4 
Nymbl Cookie Sentinel 10+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviewslow rating, top placement
wp.org #3 1 too high 5 
Art Woocommerce Custom Sale 600+ · 5.0★ (5) closure risk thin reviews
wp.org #11 ↓1 6 too low 6 
Gutenberg Blocks Templates – 50+ Free Gutenberg Block Designs 600+ · 4.0★ (7) closure risk thin reviewsstale but ranked
wp.org #10 ↓1 4 too low 7 
Alt Text Pro – AI Alt Text Generator 10+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviewslow rating, top placement
wp.org #4 3 too high 8 
Carrot quest 70+ · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviewslow rating, top placementstale but ranked
wp.org #5 ↓1 3 too high 9 
Slide Crafter Reborn 10+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews
wp.org #7 ↓1 2 too high 10 
Halloween Panda 100+ · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviewsstale but ranked
wp.org #8 ↓1 2 too high 11 
CarrotPress — · 5.0★ (1) closure risk thin reviewsstale but ranked
wp.org #9 ↓1 2 too high 12 R Recipes to Grocery Lists 10+ · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviews
wp.org #13 ↓1 1 too low 13 4 404 error – carrot — · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviews
wp.org #14 ↓1 1 too low 14 
Transiz Routes – Transport and Freight 10+ · 5.0★ (1) closure risk thin reviews
wp.org #12 ↓1 2 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.