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

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 “classy”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 of the top 20. 5 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

Advanced Chart for Elementor shows at wp.org #6 but places #15 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 90+ 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

Starbox – the Author Box for Humans places #5 on merit, 4.5★ from 203 reviews, but shows at wp.org #10. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Essential Classy Addons for Elementor – 150+ Widgets, Templates & Performance Tools 400+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #1 2 Wp Social Login and Register Social Counter 70K+ · 4.6★ (67) wp.org #4 2 too low 3 LottieFiles – JSON Based Animation Lottie & Bodymovin for Elementor 3K+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #2 1 too high 4 WP Event Manager – Events Calendar, Registrations, Sell Tickets with WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.0★ (249) wp.org #8 4 too low 5 Starbox – the Author Box for Humans 10K+ · 4.5★ (203) wp.org #10 5 too low 6 Christmasify! 2K+ · 4.8★ (29) wp.org #12 6 too low 7 QR Code Composer – Automatic QR code generation 3K+ · 4.2★ (9) wp.org #5 2 too high 8 Pixel Gallery Addons for Elementor 4K+ · 4.8★ (5) wp.org #9 1 too low 9 Advanced Image Hover Effect for Elementor 1K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #7 2 too high 10 GoFundMe Pro | Nonprofit Donation Forms 400+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #3 7 too high 11 Product Labels For WooCommerce 200+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #13 2 too low 12 AeroLeads Contact Us Details 60+ · 4.5★ (8) wp.org #19 7 too low 13 Custom Skin Loop Build Using Elementor (HTML) 10+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #11 2 too high 14 L LCT Temporary wpautop Disable Shortcode 10+ · 4.8★ (4) wp.org #21 7 too low 15 Advanced Chart for Elementor 90+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #6 9 too high 16 AR for WooCommerce – Augmented Reality & 3D Product Viewer for Art (ArtInAR) — · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #14 2 too high 17 Coinpaprika 10+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #17 18 kontur font-o-mat 50+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #15 3 too high 19 CustMain — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #16 3 too high 20 P Plugin Name: Classy wp_list_pages 50+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 2 too low 21 L LCT Text/Image Linking Shortcode 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #20 1 too high 22 C Classy 10+ · 1.0★ (1) wp.org #18 4 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.