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

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 “changesets”, 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

NHR Core Contributions shows at wp.org #7 but places #16 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its — 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

Video Background places #7 on merit, 4.5★ from 63 reviews, but shows at wp.org #17. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 M Multi Device Switcher 10K+ · 4.3★ (11) wp.org #1 2 M Media Library Enable Infinite Scrolling 7K+ · 5.0★ (25) wp.org #2 3 Germanized for WooCommerce 70K+ · 4.8★ (496) wp.org #11 ↓1 8 too low 4 D Disable WebP By Default 200+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #3 1 too high 5 WPGraphQL 30K+ · 4.9★ (48) wp.org #12 ↓1 7 too low 6 Peak Publisher 10+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #4 2 too high 7 Video Background 8K+ · 4.5★ (63) wp.org #17 ↓3 10 too low 8 Translation Stats 10+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #14 ↓2 6 too low 9 One Stop Shop for WooCommerce 10K+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #10 ↓1 1 too low 10 B BuddyPress Group Email Subscription 1K+ · 4.0★ (32) wp.org #21 ↓3 11 too low 11 D Disable Lazy Loading for IFRAMES 50+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #5 ↓1 6 too high 12 Mindio Magic MCP 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #6 ↑1 6 too high 13 R Remove WordPress to WordPress filter 30+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #18 ↓3 5 too low 14 Translation Tools 100+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #15 ↓2 1 too low 15 TDLC Birthdays 100+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #20 ↓3 5 too low 16 NHR Core Contributions — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #7 ↓2 9 too high 17 MCPDO — AI Operations — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #8 ↓2 9 too high 18 Rankfluent AI – SEO Content & Translations — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #9 ↓1 9 too high 19 Phrase TMS Integration for WordPress 200+ · 4.0★ (4) wp.org #13 6 too high 20 N Network Username Restrictions Override 90+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #19 ↓3 1 too high 21 Wonderful Sync — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #16 5 too high 22 WPTypia Email Service Provider Connector for Newspack Newsletters with Listmonk — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 ↓3 23 Showcase for Swell — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 ↓3 24 A.N.R.GHG Publishing Toolkit 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #24 ↓3

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.