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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “colour scheme”

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 “colour scheme”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 15 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

Tap Chat – Floating Contact Button shows at wp.org #9 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 200+ 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

Ninja Tables – Easy Data Table Builder places #6 on merit, 4.6★ from 472 reviews, but shows at wp.org #12. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 WP Server Health Stats 9K+ · 4.8★ (110) wp.org #1 2 ECS – Ele Custom Skin for Elementor 100K+ · 4.6★ (117) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 Dokan: AI Powered WooCommerce Multivendor Marketplace Solution – Build Your Own Amazon, eBay, Etsy 30K+ · 4.6★ (769) wp.org #4 1 too low 4 CiviCRM Admin Utilities 1K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #2 2 too high 5 WP-PageNavi 400K+ · 4.7★ (149) wp.org #8 3 too low 6 Ninja Tables – Easy Data Table Builder 70K+ · 4.6★ (472) wp.org #12 6 too low 7 Admin Custom Login 10K+ · 4.6★ (388) wp.org #13 6 too low 8 NEX-Forms – Ultimate Forms Plugin for WordPress 5K+ · 4.1★ (135) wp.org #11 3 too low 9 WP-PostRatings 20K+ · 4.4★ (178) wp.org #15 6 too low 10 Custom Site Logo 1K+ · 4.7★ (9) wp.org #7 3 too high 11 Dark Reader – Beautiful Dark Mode for any Website 200+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #6 5 too high 12 Recipe Card Blocks Lite 10K+ · 4.8★ (20) wp.org #16 4 too low 13 GutenKit – Page Builder Blocks, Patterns, and Templates for Gutenberg Block Editor 80K+ · 4.5★ (48) wp.org #21 8 too low 14 Media Export & Clean 200+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #5 9 too high 15 Vanquish Upload Files for WooCommerce 20+ · 4.6★ (10) wp.org #19 4 too low 16 Admin Menu in Frontend 10+ · 4.7★ (3) wp.org #17 1 too low 17 FileDeck – Document Library, Download Manager & Client Portal 100+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #23 6 too low 18 Eventful for Elementor – Events Showcase for The Events Calendar 200+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #14 4 too high 19 Tap Chat – Floating Contact Button 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #9 10 too high 20 SMNTCS Nord Admin Theme 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #10 10 too high 21 WP-CommentNavi 700+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #24 3 too low 22 W webtonative 20+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #22 23 NEX-Forms ADD ON – Form Themes 1K+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 3 too high 24 WPeMatico Custom Hooks 50+ · 3.0★ (2) wp.org #18 6 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.