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

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 “clever”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 of the top 20. 4 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

Clever Linked Terms shows at wp.org #6 but places #14 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 10+ 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

Premium Addons for Elementor – AI-Ready Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates places #3 on merit, 4.9★ from 1680 reviews, but shows at wp.org #7. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance 1M+ · 4.8★ (2617) wp.org #2 1 too low 2 OAuth Single Sign On – SSO (OAuth Client) 6K+ · 4.9★ (327) wp.org #4 ↓1 2 too low 3 Premium Addons for Elementor – AI-Ready Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates 600K+ · 4.9★ (1680) wp.org #7 4 too low 4 WP Crontrol 300K+ · 4.4★ (167) wp.org #5 1 too low 5 Broken Link Checker 500K+ · 3.8★ (605) wp.org #3 ↑3 2 too high 6 Reviews and Rating – Google Reviews 20K+ · 4.9★ (184) wp.org #9 3 too low 7 Clever Fox 30K+ · 3.0★ (5) wp.org #1 6 too high 8 Affiliate Coupons – Coupon Display Manager – Excellent Tool for Affiliate Marketers 1K+ · 4.5★ (36) wp.org #11 ↑1 3 too low 9 Termin-Kalender 500+ · 4.2★ (9) wp.org #12 ↓1 3 too low 10 sqrip.ch 100+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #14 4 too low 11 Online Buchungssystem – edoobox 200+ · 4.3★ (8) wp.org #13 2 too low 12 Hello Clever Gateway for WooCommerce 10+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #8 4 too high 13 Official CleverReach® Plugin for WooCommerce 400+ · 4.3★ (4) wp.org #10 3 too high 14 Clever Linked Terms 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #6 ↓2 8 too high 15 Offermative – Discount Rules & Upsell Funnels For WooCommerce 20+ · 4.0★ (8) wp.org #23 ↓1 8 too low 16 SiteCare – Vulnerability Scanner 40+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #17 ↓1 1 too low 17 Clever Tracking 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #15 2 too high 18 Clever Advertising Network Connector — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #18 19 C Clevers Product Carousel — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #19 ↓1 20 C Clevers Image Optimizer — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 ↓1 21 neo Replace – Simple replacement using drag & drop 80+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #16 ↑1 5 too high 22 C Clevers Shipping for Multicouriers — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 ↓1 1 too high 23 Formico – Elementor Form Builder Addons, Fields & CRM Integrations 20+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #22 ↓1 1 too high 24 Fullworks Security Scanner 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #24 ↓1

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.