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

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 “cast”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 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

Slovenská pošta – ePodací hárok shows at wp.org #7 but places #14 on merit, a gap of 7 places. Its 300+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 4 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Document Viewer – let visitors view files right in the browser places #7 on merit, 4.7★ from 52 reviews, but shows at wp.org #16. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 WP-PostRatings 20K+ · 4.4★ (178) wp.org #3 2 too low 2 Real3D Flipbook – 3D Flipbook, PDF Flipbook, PDF Viewer, PDF Embedder 10K+ · 4.5★ (11) wp.org #2 3 WP-Polls 40K+ · 4.2★ (136) wp.org #5 ↑1 2 too low 4 Schema – All In One Schema Rich Snippets 30K+ · 4.0★ (162) wp.org #9 5 too low 5 Meta Field Block – Display Custom Fields for ACF, Meta Box and More 10K+ · 5.0★ (57) wp.org #8 3 too low 6 Screenly Cast 60+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #1 5 too high 7 Document Viewer – let visitors view files right in the browser 2K+ · 4.7★ (52) wp.org #16 9 too low 8 Payoneer Checkout 5K+ · 4.2★ (5) wp.org #4 4 too high 9 GeeK! – Movie & Game Database 70+ · 5.0★ (11) wp.org #11 2 too low 10 Movie Engine – OTT Streaming Platform for Movies & TV Series 100+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #6 ↓1 4 too high 11 IdeaPush 700+ · 4.5★ (31) wp.org #12 1 too low 12 WPScreens 300+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #10 2 too high 13 Video Player Block – play videos beautifully on any device 2K+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #15 2 too low 14 Slovenská pošta – ePodací hárok 300+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #7 7 too high 15 Tribulant Gallery Voting 300+ · 4.2★ (12) wp.org #18 ↑1 3 too low 16 AI Infographic Maker 600+ · 4.4★ (17) wp.org #21 ↑1 5 too low 17 Advanced H2H for SportsPress 200+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #14 3 too high 18 Featured Image Pro Post Grid 900+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #13 5 too high 19 Simple URLs Legacy 50+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #19 ↑1 20 Admin Menus Fixed 100+ · 4.3★ (3) wp.org #17 ↑1 3 too high 21 Simple Podcasting 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 ↑1 1 too low 22 Bumpcheck – PHP 8 Compatibility Check 70+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 1 too low 23 Tenvow Movie Review & Rating — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #24 1 too low 24 Embed Consent 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #20 ↑1 4 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.