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

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 map”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 of the top 20. 3 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

exovia GDPR Google Maps shows at wp.org #10 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 4K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.6★ average from 11 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Product Feed PRO for WooCommerce by AdTribes – Product Feeds for WooCommerce places #10 on merit, 4.7★ from 1071 reviews, but shows at wp.org #18. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Open User Map – Interactive Leaflet Maps 10K+ · 5.0★ (70) wp.org #1 ↑1 2 WP Go Maps – Google Map, OpenStreetMap, Leaflet Map 300K+ · 4.8★ (3055) wp.org #2 ↓1 3 WP Data Access – App Builder for Tables, Forms, Dashboards, Charts & Maps 10K+ · 4.9★ (88) wp.org #5 ↑1 2 too low 4 WP Store Locator 40K+ · 4.8★ (312) wp.org #8 4 too low 5 Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ · 4.7★ (1667) wp.org #9 ↓4 4 too low 6 Travelers' Map 1K+ · 5.0★ (46) wp.org #4 2 too high 7 MapGeo – Interactive Geo Maps 30K+ · 4.4★ (65) wp.org #6 ↓1 1 too high 8 Insert Special Characters 3K+ · 4.9★ (8) wp.org #3 5 too high 9 User Profile Builder – Beautiful User Registration Forms, User Profiles & User Role Editor 40K+ · 4.7★ (738) wp.org #15 6 too low 10 Product Feed PRO for WooCommerce by AdTribes – Product Feeds for WooCommerce 80K+ · 4.7★ (1071) wp.org #18 ↓2 8 too low 11 W3 Total Cache 900K+ · 4.4★ (5420) wp.org #16 ↑8 5 too low 12 All in One SEO – AI SEO Plugin to Boost SEO Rankings & Traffic (Schema, Local SEO, Sitemap & SEO Insights) 2M+ · 4.7★ (5231) wp.org #13 ↓5 1 too low 13 MapSVG – Vector maps, Image maps, Google Maps 1K+ · 4.5★ (31) wp.org #7 6 too high 14 WP All Import – Drag & Drop Import for CSV, XML, Excel & Google Sheets 100K+ · 4.7★ (1966) wp.org #22 8 too low 15 Simple Shortcode for Google Maps 3K+ · 4.6★ (46) wp.org #11 ↑1 4 too high 16 Leaflet Maps Marker (Google Maps, OpenStreetMap, Bing Maps) 9K+ · 4.6★ (244) wp.org #12 ↓1 4 too high 17 SiteOrigin Widgets Bundle 400K+ · 4.9★ (134) wp.org #21 ↑3 4 too low 18 Gutenverse – WordPress Blocks, Page Builder & Site Editor 20K+ · 4.9★ (190) wp.org #24 6 too low 19 exovia GDPR Google Maps 4K+ · 4.6★ (11) wp.org #10 9 too high 20 Vision – Interactive Image Map with Hotspots Builder 2K+ · 4.9★ (9) wp.org #14 6 too high 21 Snazzy Maps 30K+ · 4.2★ (15) wp.org #20 ↓2 1 too high 22 TraveledMap Trip itinerary: Embedded map 80+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #19 ↓2 3 too high 23 PicPoints – Interactive Image Map & Hotspot Builder 70+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #23 24 Vampire Character Manager 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #17 ↓2 7 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.