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← Rankings

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

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 “chief”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 14 of the top 19. 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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.

Ranked above its merit

StoryChief ACF shows at wp.org #3 but places #8 on merit, a gap of 5 places. Its 100+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Event Organiser places #3 on merit, 4.6★ from 140 reviews, but shows at wp.org #11. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 StoryChief 1K+ · 4.7★ (14) wp.org #1 2 GEO Plugin by Squirrly SEO 30K+ · 4.6★ (683) wp.org #4 ↓2 2 too low 3 Event Organiser 20K+ · 4.6★ (140) wp.org #11 8 too low 4 Garden Gnome Package 4K+ · 4.2★ (5) wp.org #2 ↑1 2 too high 5 xili-language 600+ · 3.9★ (14) wp.org #15 10 too low 6 zenloop for WooCommerce – Net Promoter Score (NPS) platform 10+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #10 4 too low 7 CIO Custom Fields Importer 400+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #16 9 too low 8 StoryChief ACF 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #3 ↑1 5 too high 9 Newsroom OS – Google Discover, Google News, Schema & Editorial Workflow 40+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #5 4 too high 10 Be POPIA Compliant 100+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #13 3 too low 11 StoryChief WPML 40+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #6 5 too high 12 StoryChief Polylang 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #7 5 too high 13 Connect for WooPilot AI – Operations & Analytics via Telegram for WooCommerce — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #8 5 too high 14 CNX Medical Lite – Clinic EHR & Appointments — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #9 5 too high 15 WP Replace Unlicensed and Broken Images 10+ · 3.8★ (4) wp.org #18 3 too low 16 SplashMaker 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #12 4 too high 17 T TheWebGears Members Plugin 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #19 2 too low 18 Chief Editor 10+ · 4.0★ (2) wp.org #14 4 too high 19 W WP Resume 100+ · 2.3★ (6) wp.org #17 2 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.