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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “category dropdowns”

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 “category dropdowns”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 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

Product Category Showcase for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #5 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 14 places. Its 1K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 5 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Folders – Unlimited Folders to Organize Media Library Folder, Pages, Posts, File Manager places #4 on merit, 5.0★ from 1525 reviews, but shows at wp.org #15. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Category AJAX Filter – Posts, Custom Post Types & Product Filter 6K+ · 4.9★ (158) wp.org #1 2 Translate WordPress with GTranslate 900K+ · 4.9★ (4962) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 Product Category Dropdowns 800+ · 4.7★ (12) wp.org #2 1 too high 4 Folders – Unlimited Folders to Organize Media Library Folder, Pages, Posts, File Manager 90K+ · 5.0★ (1525) wp.org #15 ↑7 11 too low 5 Media Library Categories 20K+ · 4.2★ (52) wp.org #6 1 too low 6 WP Store Locator 40K+ · 4.8★ (312) wp.org #13 ↓3 7 too low 7 Category Posts in Custom Menu 2K+ · 4.8★ (43) wp.org #7 8 WP Media Category Management 6K+ · 4.7★ (35) wp.org #4 4 too high 9 Variation Swatches for WooCommerce 300K+ · 4.8★ (926) wp.org #10 ↑3 1 too low 10 ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2051) wp.org #16 6 too low 11 PublishPress Taxonomies – Tag, Category, and Taxonomy Manager – Autotagger Automatically Add Terms 40K+ · 4.6★ (195) wp.org #14 3 too low 12 Quiz Maker by AYS 20K+ · 4.9★ (601) wp.org #22 10 too low 13 Media Library Assistant 70K+ · 4.8★ (202) wp.org #19 6 too low 14 Ultra Addons for Contact Form 7 60K+ · 4.8★ (107) wp.org #17 3 too low 15 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) wp.org #23 8 too low 16 Blog Filter – Post Grid Filter by Category or Tag 7K+ · 4.9★ (81) wp.org #20 ↓2 4 too low 17 Variation Swatches for WooCommerce – Color, Image & Size Swatches 200K+ · 4.6★ (51) wp.org #18 ↓3 1 too low 18 P Post Order By Category 1K+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #8 10 too high 19 Product Category Showcase for WooCommerce 1K+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #5 14 too high 20 WP Categories Widget 6K+ · 4.5★ (27) wp.org #24 ↓5 4 too low 21 Category Archives Block 900+ · 4.2★ (5) wp.org #9 12 too high 22 RDV Category Image 300+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #11 11 too high 23 Category Filter Block 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #12 11 too high 24 Amitry Product & Category Slider for WooCommerce 100+ · 3.0★ (2) wp.org #21 ↓1 3 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.