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

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 “classicpress”, 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

ProvenExpert shows at wp.org #3 but places #14 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 1K+ 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

Gwolle Guestbook places #9 on merit, 4.8★ from 113 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 LiteSpeed Cache 7M+ · 4.8★ (2778) wp.org #1 2 Custom Taxonomy Order 50K+ · 4.8★ (96) wp.org #2 3 VS Event List 8K+ · 4.9★ (82) wp.org #6 ↓3 3 too low 4 Zeno Font Resizer 5K+ · 4.6★ (20) wp.org #5 1 too low 5 Events Made Easy 1K+ · 4.6★ (111) wp.org #10 ↓2 5 too low 6 WP Attachments – Smarter File Management & Download Lists 3K+ · 4.5★ (43) wp.org #7 1 too low 7 VS Contact Form 6K+ · 4.8★ (50) wp.org #11 ↓2 4 too low 8 AdRotate Banner Manager 20K+ · 4.3★ (655) wp.org #13 ↑3 5 too low 9 Gwolle Guestbook 20K+ · 4.8★ (113) wp.org #18 ↓6 9 too low 10 Manual Related Posts 1K+ · 5.0★ (23) wp.org #12 ↓1 2 too low 11 WP ImageViewer 700+ · 4.9★ (10) wp.org #8 ↑2 3 too high 12 External files in Media Library 500+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #4 ↑14 8 too high 13 BCM Duplicate Menu 4K+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #9 ↓3 4 too high 14 ProvenExpert 1K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #3 ↑1 11 too high 15 La Sentinelle antispam 3K+ · 5.0★ (21) wp.org #19 4 too low 16 VS Meta Description 3K+ · 4.4★ (16) wp.org #14 2 too high 17 No-Bot Registration 2K+ · 4.4★ (28) wp.org #24 ↓1 7 too low 18 Personio Integration Light 200+ · 4.9★ (7) wp.org #20 ↑2 2 too low 19 Zeno Report Comments 200+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #23 ↓2 4 too low 20 Super Simple Event Calendar 600+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #17 3 too high 21 WP ADA Compliance Check Basic 2K+ · 4.5★ (8) wp.org #16 ↓3 5 too high 22 Tota11y WP 200+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #22 ↓2 23 WP Shredderchess 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #15 8 too high 24 Admin Users Logged In 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #21 ↓2 3 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.