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

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 “colorpicker”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 7 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

Product Designer App shows at wp.org #15 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 100+ installs carry it up the search order; its 1.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Schema – All In One Schema Rich Snippets places #10 on merit, 4.0★ from 162 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 User Profile Builder – Beautiful User Registration Forms, User Profiles & User Role Editor 40K+ · 4.7★ (738) wp.org #1 2 YaMaps for WordPress Plugin 10K+ · 4.8★ (40) wp.org #2 3 Variation Swatches for WooCommerce 300K+ · 4.8★ (926) wp.org #3 ↑2 4 Timetable and Event Schedule by MotoPress 30K+ · 4.3★ (69) wp.org #4 ↓1 5 M Mesmerize Companion 50K+ · 4.4★ (51) wp.org #7 2 too low 6 B BuddyPress Xprofile Custom Field Types 3K+ · 4.9★ (16) wp.org #8 2 too low 7 Video Background 8K+ · 4.5★ (63) wp.org #14 ↑1 7 too low 8 Pure Metafields 10K+ · 4.3★ (6) wp.org #5 ↓1 3 too high 9 O One Page Express Companion 10K+ · 4.7★ (11) wp.org #9 10 Schema – All In One Schema Rich Snippets 30K+ · 4.0★ (162) wp.org #24 14 too low 11 M Materialis Companion 6K+ · 4.7★ (10) wp.org #10 1 too high 12 Coding Chicken – JetEngine Importer 300+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #6 6 too high 13 Astra Widgets 200K+ · 3.9★ (17) wp.org #21 ↑1 8 too low 14 Votely by WPGens 30+ · 4.6★ (9) wp.org #23 ↑1 9 too low 15 Gallery Styles – Sort & Style the Gallery Block (Exif, Hover, Duotone) 500+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #11 4 too high 16 A Add To Home Screen on iOS and PWA 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #12 ↑1 4 too high 17 WP Site Options 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #13 ↑1 4 too high 18 Colorful Fields for Gravity Forms — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #16 ↑1 2 too high 19 Elevoire Login Designer — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 ↑1 2 too high 20 Circle Progress Bar Block 30+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #18 ↑1 2 too high 21 T TimerPlus: Countdown & Urgency Suite — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #19 ↑1 2 too high 22 W WHA Tours Core — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 ↑1 2 too high 23 Product Designer App 100+ · 1.0★ (1) wp.org #15 ↑1 8 too high 24 PixTypes 9K+ · 2.0★ (2) wp.org #22 ↑1 2 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.