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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “categorized faq”

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 “categorized faq”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 6 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.

Ranked above its merit

FAQ Accordion for WordPress with FAQ Schema & AI Generator – WPFAQBlock shows at wp.org #7 but places #14 on merit, a gap of 7 places. Its 40+ installs carry it up the search order; its 0.0★ average from 0 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Live Chat by Formilla – Real-time Chat & Chatbots Plugin places #7 on merit, 4.8★ from 116 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 E Expanding Archives 3K+ · 4.7★ (6) wp.org #1 2 Lightbox slider – Responsive Lightbox Gallery 3K+ · 4.7★ (24) wp.org #2 3 Cozy Blocks – Website Builder & Business Growth Toolkit | Popups, Lead Forms & Inbox 6K+ · 4.6★ (21) wp.org #3 4 Contact List – Online Staff Directory & Address Book 1K+ · 4.8★ (19) wp.org #4 5 Gutentor – Gutenberg Blocks – Page Builder for Gutenberg Editor 30K+ · 4.6★ (90) wp.org #8 3 too low 6 Cookies and Content Security Policy 10K+ · 4.9★ (67) wp.org #6 7 Live Chat by Formilla – Real-time Chat & Chatbots Plugin 2K+ · 4.8★ (116) wp.org #12 5 too low 8 PHP Compatibility Checker 200K+ · 2.7★ (131) wp.org #5 3 too high 9 Knowledge Base documentation & wiki plugin – BasePress Docs 2K+ · 4.8★ (75) wp.org #11 2 too low 10 Broken Link Notifier 1K+ · 4.8★ (14) wp.org #9 1 too high 11 Contact Forms by Cimatti 700+ · 4.4★ (16) wp.org #10 1 too high 12 Frontman – AI Website Editor 80+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #20 8 too low 13 AI Auto Post & Image Generator 200+ · 4.8★ (4) wp.org #14 1 too low 14 FAQ Accordion for WordPress with FAQ Schema & AI Generator – WPFAQBlock 40+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #7 7 too high 15 AssistCamp 70+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #13 2 too high 16 AI Blog Poster 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #15 1 too high 17 Categorized Simple FAQ Plugin — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #16 1 too high 18 Kung Woo Help Center — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #18 19 StoreHelper Kit – WooCommerce Bulk Edit, AI ALT Text & SEO Toolkit 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #19 20 SwiftTrap for Mailtrap 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 1 too low 21 L Lubber – The Silent Bad Bot Blocker — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 ↑1 1 too low 22 PandaChat Live AI Chat 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 1 too low 23 SpreadSimple Integration 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #17 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.