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

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 “cartoons”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 4 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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.

C

Ranked above its merit

Custom Profile Filters for BuddyPress shows at wp.org #14 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 6 places. Its 100+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.3★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

merit plugin wp.org
1 BotWriter – AI Writer & SEO Content Generator 1K+ · 4.4★ (16) wp.org #1 2 AI Bud – AI Content Generator, AI Chatbot, ChatGPT, Gemini, GPT-4o 2K+ · 4.5★ (23) wp.org #2 3 wiseCampaign – WooCommerce Flash Sale, Countdown Timer, Discount Rules & Sales Notification 40+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #4 1 too low 4 AI Featured Image 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #3 1 too high 5 WP Scarcity Jeet – Powerful scarcity and urgency timer for your landing pages 10+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #12 ↓1 7 too low 6 Click Action Sounds – Click Sound Effects for Buttons, Links & Forms 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #5 1 too high 7 Waypoint Royalty Free Image Generator 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #6 1 too high 8 Themeshawk AI Photo Illustrator — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #7 1 too high 9 AutoArticle Content Generator 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #8 ↓1 1 too high 10 TransparAI: EU AI Act Compliance, AI Disclosure & AI Image Detection 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #10 11 Beky AI Blog Generator — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #11 ↓2 12 Cyphex Image Hunter 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #9 ↓1 3 too high 13 MAI Smart Assistant — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #13 ↓1 14 C Custom Profile Filters for BuddyPress 10+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #18 ↓1 4 too low 15 W WP SM Tigger Jumping Sliding Menu — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 ↓1 2 too low 16 P PCAViz 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #16 ↓1 17 W WP-Cartoon 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #15 ↓1 2 too high 18 D Demotivational Post — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 ↓1 2 too low 19 H Hello Pinky — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #19 ↓1 20 C Custom Profile Filters for BuddyPress 100+ · 3.3★ (3) wp.org #14 ↓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.