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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “change label”

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 “change label”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 of the top 20.

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.

Ranked above its merit

Better Aria Label Support shows at wp.org #7 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 14 places. Its 4K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin places #11 on merit, 4.8★ from 8709 reviews, but shows at wp.org #24. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 White Label CMS 200K+ · 4.7★ (114) wp.org #1 2 White Label – WordPress Custom Admin, Custom Login Page, and Custom Dashboard 10K+ · 5.0★ (21) wp.org #2 3 Simple History – Track, Log, and Audit WordPress Changes 300K+ · 4.9★ (491) wp.org #5 2 too low 4 Activity Log – Monitor User and Agent Changes 200K+ · 4.3★ (74) wp.org #3 ↑1 1 too high 5 Free Shipping Label and Progress Bar for WooCommerce 5K+ · 5.0★ (43) wp.org #4 ↓1 1 too high 6 Advanced Woo Labels – Product Labels & Badges for WooCommerce 10K+ · 5.0★ (64) wp.org #6 7 WebToffee WooCommerce PDF Invoices, Packing Slips, Delivery Notes & Shipping Labels 50K+ · 4.9★ (285) wp.org #9 2 too low 8 Advanced Product Labels for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.8★ (252) wp.org #10 2 too low 9 Duplicator – Backups & Migration Plugin – Cloud Backups, Scheduled Backups, & More 1M+ · 4.9★ (4940) wp.org #15 ↑1 6 too low 10 Variation Swatches for WooCommerce 300K+ · 4.8★ (926) wp.org #22 12 too low 11 UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8709) wp.org #24 ↓2 13 too low 12 WPvivid — Backup, Migration & Staging 900K+ · 4.9★ (1569) wp.org #21 ↓6 9 too low 13 Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408) wp.org #16 ↓1 3 too low 14 Adminify – White Label, Admin Menu Editor, Login Customizer 6K+ · 4.3★ (109) wp.org #17 ↑3 3 too low 15 Branda – White Label & Branding, Free Login Page Customizer 10K+ · 4.5★ (30) wp.org #13 2 too high 16 Product Badge, Label, Countdown Timer for WooCommerce – Sale Booster 5K+ · 4.8★ (30) wp.org #14 2 too high 17 Barcode Generator: Print Product Labels & Order Barcode Label (A4, Thermal/Roll, Letter) 900+ · 4.5★ (74) wp.org #23 6 too low 18 Change Price Title for WooCommerce 3K+ · 3.8★ (10) wp.org #8 10 too high 19 Custom Add to Cart Button Label and Link for WooCommerce 2K+ · 4.6★ (27) wp.org #20 ↑1 1 too low 20 NGD Custom Add to Cart Label for WooCommerce 400+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #11 9 too high 21 Better Aria Label Support 4K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #7 14 too high 22 Change Add to Cart Button Text for WooCommerce 1K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #19 ↑1 3 too high 23 Custom Add to Cart labels for WooCommerce 5K+ · 3.9★ (14) wp.org #18 ↑1 5 too high 24 Change Proceed To Checkout Text 200+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #12 12 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.