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

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 “colorbox”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 of the top 20. 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 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

Property – Real Estate Directory Listing shows at wp.org #11 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 40+ installs carry it up the search order; its 0.0★ average from 0 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Vimeography: Vimeo Video Gallery WordPress Plugin places #10 on merit, 4.5★ from 122 reviews, but shows at wp.org #24. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 WP Colorbox 5K+ · 4.3★ (23) wp.org #1 2 Photonic Gallery & Lightbox for Flickr, SmugMug & Others 10K+ · 4.8★ (193) wp.org #4 ↑1 2 too low 3 Maps Widget for Google Maps 20K+ · 4.6★ (512) wp.org #6 3 too low 4 Colorbox Panels & Info Box 1K+ · 4.6★ (44) wp.org #3 ↓1 1 too high 5 WP ImageViewer 700+ · 4.9★ (10) wp.org #2 ↑2 3 too high 6 Slideshow Gallery LITE 5K+ · 4.6★ (743) wp.org #8 2 too low 7 Gallery – Photo Albums Plugin 2K+ · 3.8★ (277) wp.org #10 3 too low 8 WP Lightbox 2 20K+ · 4.4★ (89) wp.org #18 10 too low 9 Dynamic Product Gallery for WooCommerce 1K+ · 3.1★ (37) wp.org #9 10 Vimeography: Vimeo Video Gallery WordPress Plugin 5K+ · 4.5★ (122) wp.org #24 14 too low 11 PopupReply for Contact Form 7 100+ · 3.0★ (8) wp.org #5 ↓2 6 too high 12 MetaSlider Gallery – Image Gallery, Lightbox Galleries, Video Galleries 10K+ · 4.4★ (9) wp.org #13 1 too low 13 FV Flowplayer Video Player 10K+ · 4.4★ (90) wp.org #22 9 too low 14 Video Lightbox for YouTube/Vimeo 100+ · 3.3★ (7) wp.org #7 7 too high 15 Coupon Creator 1K+ · 4.3★ (37) wp.org #21 6 too low 16 YITH WooCommerce Compare 100K+ · 4.1★ (38) wp.org #19 3 too low 17 Modal Dialog 500+ · 4.4★ (16) wp.org #17 18 Ibtana – Ecommerce Product Addons 5K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #16 2 too high 19 Cleanup – Directory Listing & Classifieds WordPress Plugin — · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #14 5 too high 20 Email Inquiry & Cart Options for WooCommerce 800+ · 3.2★ (20) wp.org #23 3 too low 21 PizzaTier — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #15 6 too high 22 Property – Real Estate Directory Listing 40+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #11 11 too high 23 Q Quotepro Insurance Widget 30+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #12 11 too high 24 Easy search and use CC-licensed images 60+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #20 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.