Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “comma separated”

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 “comma separated”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 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

Essential Content Types shows at wp.org #4 but places #15 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 20K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.7★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Get Use APIs – JSON Content Importer places #7 on merit, 4.9★ from 78 reviews, but shows at wp.org #15. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 P Page-list 30K+ · 4.7★ (89) wp.org #1 2 R Really Simple CSV Importer 40K+ · 4.9★ (107) wp.org #2 3 HTML Page Sitemap (Block and Shortcode) 10K+ · 4.4★ (24) wp.org #3 4 Export and Import Users and Customers 50K+ · 4.8★ (442) wp.org #8 4 too low 5 Taxonomy Switcher 2K+ · 5.0★ (24) wp.org #9 4 too low 6 Gravity Forms Email Blacklist 10K+ · 4.3★ (15) wp.org #6 7 Get Use APIs – JSON Content Importer 5K+ · 4.9★ (78) wp.org #15 ↓4 8 too low 8 T Throws SPAM Away 10K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #5 3 too high 9 Alt Text Tools 800+ · 5.0★ (10) wp.org #7 2 too high 10 CSV Importer 3K+ · 4.2★ (28) wp.org #11 ↑1 1 too low 11 Comments Import & Export 2K+ · 4.9★ (68) wp.org #19 ↑1 8 too low 12 TWB Woocommerce Reviews 600+ · 4.8★ (26) wp.org #12 ↑1 13 m1.DownloadList 400+ · 4.7★ (21) wp.org #17 4 too low 14 Estimated Delivery for WooCommerce 1K+ · 5.0★ (13) wp.org #13 ↑1 1 too high 15 Essential Content Types 20K+ · 3.7★ (3) wp.org #4 11 too high 16 Posts Table with Search & Sort 3K+ · 4.6★ (19) wp.org #21 5 too low 17 WP Simple HTML Sitemap 3K+ · 4.9★ (10) wp.org #14 ↑2 3 too high 18 GazChap's WooCommerce Auto Category Product Thumbnails 1K+ · 4.4★ (14) wp.org #23 ↓1 5 too low 19 Animated Headline 2K+ · 4.4★ (7) wp.org #18 1 too high 20 D Display HTML Sitemap 1K+ · 4.0★ (4) wp.org #10 10 too high 21 R Rel Nofollow 700+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #16 ↓1 5 too high 22 Ordessa – FAQ & Accordion Block with Bulk Add 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #22 ↓1 23 Teydea Password Reset – Force Password Reset & Expiration 500+ · 4.3★ (3) wp.org #24 ↓1 1 too low 24 WP Sitemap Pages and Posts 1K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #20 ↓1 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.