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← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “character length”

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 “character length”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 of the top 20. 1 plugin is 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

WYSIWYG Character Limit for ACF shows at wp.org #3 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 15 places. Its 100+ 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

Jquery Validation For Contact Form 7 places #12 on merit, 4.6★ from 87 reviews, but shows at wp.org #22. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 User Profile Builder – Beautiful User Registration Forms, User Profiles & User Role Editor 40K+ · 4.7★ (738) wp.org #1 2 Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423) wp.org #4 ↑3 2 too low 3 R Restrict Usernames Emails Characters 1K+ · 4.5★ (25) wp.org #2 1 too high 4 Advanced Product Fields (Product Addons) for WooCommerce 50K+ · 4.8★ (284) wp.org #6 ↓1 2 too low 5 A Advanced Excerpt 80K+ · 4.3★ (101) wp.org #5 ↓1 6 WP User Manager – Registration Form, Login Form, User Profile Builder & Member Directory 10K+ · 4.7★ (350) wp.org #7 1 too low 7 WP Super Cache 1M+ · 4.3★ (1346) wp.org #9 2 too low 8 Easy Auto SKU Generator for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.9★ (272) wp.org #12 ↓1 4 too low 9 Recent Posts Widget With Thumbnails 100K+ · 4.8★ (215) wp.org #11 ↑2 2 too low 10 AutoConvert Greeklish Permalinks 40K+ · 4.9★ (26) wp.org #15 ↑3 5 too low 11 Frontend Reset Password 10K+ · 4.4★ (38) wp.org #16 ↑1 5 too low 12 Jquery Validation For Contact Form 7 8K+ · 4.6★ (87) wp.org #22 ↓1 10 too low 13 Melapress Login Security 3K+ · 4.8★ (20) wp.org #14 ↑2 1 too low 14 Reviews and Rating – Google Reviews 20K+ · 4.9★ (184) wp.org #23 ↓8 9 too low 15 Longer Permalinks 8K+ · 5.0★ (18) wp.org #18 ↓3 3 too low 16 Bulky – Bulk Edit Products for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.6★ (53) wp.org #19 ↑1 3 too low 17 Count Characters, Words and Paragraphs while typing 300+ · 4.5★ (6) wp.org #8 ↓1 9 too high 18 WYSIWYG Character Limit for ACF 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #3 15 too high 19 YITH WooCommerce Product Add-Ons 20K+ · 3.7★ (57) wp.org #20 ↑2 1 too low 20 Pinyin Slugs 3K+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #21 ↑3 1 too low 21 Extra Product Options for WooCommerce 600+ · 4.1★ (9) wp.org #17 4 too high 22 YITH WooCommerce Ajax Search 30K+ · 3.0★ (42) wp.org #24 2 too low 23 Teydea Login Security – Password Policy, Complexity Rules & Expiration 400+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #10 13 too high 24 Limit Post Add-On 300+ · 3.0★ (2) wp.org #13 ↓1 11 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.