Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “color coded”

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 “color coded”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 of the top 20.

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

Colored Admin Post List shows at wp.org #5 but places #16 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 400+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Advanced Product Fields (Product Addons) for WooCommerce places #10 on merit, 4.8★ from 284 reviews, but shows at wp.org #22. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Variation Swatches for WooCommerce – Color, Image & Size Swatches 200K+ · 4.6★ (51) wp.org #1 2 The SEO Framework – Fast, Automated, Effortless. 200K+ · 4.9★ (380) wp.org #2 ↑1 3 Simple Calendar – Google Calendar Plugin 50K+ · 3.8★ (397) wp.org #3 ↓1 4 Advanced Database Cleaner – Optimize & Clean Database to Speed Up Site Performance 100K+ · 4.9★ (1962) wp.org #7 ↓1 3 too low 5 Spiffy Calendar 2K+ · 4.9★ (38) wp.org #4 1 too high 6 Post and Page Builder by BoldGrid – Visual Drag and Drop Editor 50K+ · 4.7★ (140) wp.org #11 5 too low 7 LoftLoader 70K+ · 4.5★ (33) wp.org #6 ↑1 1 too high 8 SmartCrawl SEO checker, analyzer & optimizer 10K+ · 4.8★ (171) wp.org #13 ↑7 5 too low 9 HA Font Color Customizer 300+ · 4.9★ (17) wp.org #8 1 too high 10 Advanced Product Fields (Product Addons) for WooCommerce 50K+ · 4.8★ (284) wp.org #22 12 too low 11 Pie Calendar – Events Calendar Made Simple 1K+ · 4.7★ (24) wp.org #9 ↑3 2 too high 12 SiteOrigin Widgets Bundle 400K+ · 4.9★ (134) wp.org #19 7 too low 13 UpStream: a Project Management Plugin for WordPress 500+ · 4.2★ (74) wp.org #14 1 too low 14 Redux Framework 900K+ · 4.4★ (273) wp.org #20 ↓10 6 too low 15 Simple GDPR Cookie Compliance 6K+ · 4.9★ (14) wp.org #15 16 Colored Admin Post List 400+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #5 11 too high 17 HA Background Color Customizer 100+ · 4.9★ (11) wp.org #24 7 too low 18 Post Calendar by Gelform 60+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #21 3 too low 19 Termin-Kalender 500+ · 4.2★ (9) wp.org #23 ↓1 4 too low 20 Advanced Custom Order Status for WooCommerce 500+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #10 ↓1 10 too high 21 Notifications on Discord for WooCommerce 200+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #17 ↓1 4 too high 22 SEO for AI Search 300+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #12 ↑1 10 too high 23 Muslim Prayer Time-Salah/Iqamah 400+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #18 ↑1 5 too high 24 Browser Address Bar Color Changer 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #16 ↑1 8 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.