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

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 “commented”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 of the top 20. 6 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

WP-Stats shows at wp.org #10 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 2K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 2.6★ average from 7 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Youzify – BuddyPress Community, User Profile, Social Network & Membership Plugin for WordPress places #10 on merit, 4.8★ from 194 reviews, but shows at wp.org #18. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 W WP Photo Album Plus 10K+ · 4.7★ (199) wp.org #1 2 WP Popups – WordPress Popup builder 30K+ · 4.9★ (112) wp.org #2 ↑1 3 AnWP Post Grid and Post Carousel Slider for Elementor 20K+ · 4.9★ (84) wp.org #5 ↓3 2 too low 4 Hyper Cache 7K+ · 4.5★ (82) wp.org #4 ↑1 5 Quantity Plus Minus Button for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.4★ (30) wp.org #3 ↑1 2 too high 6 Vigilant – 100% Free Security Suite: Firewall, 2FA, Login, Headers, Scanner… 3K+ · 5.0★ (24) wp.org #6 7 Peter's Post Notes – Admin Notes for Posts and Pages 3K+ · 4.9★ (26) wp.org #7 8 Smart Post – Post Grid, Post Carousel, Post Slider Gutenberg Blocks for Blog & News 20K+ · 4.7★ (210) wp.org #12 4 too low 9 Flex Posts – Responsive Posts Block 2K+ · 5.0★ (24) wp.org #9 ↓1 10 Youzify – BuddyPress Community, User Profile, Social Network & Membership Plugin for WordPress 5K+ · 4.8★ (194) wp.org #18 8 too low 11 MKL Product Configurator for WooCommerce – 2D & 3D Live Preview 2K+ · 4.8★ (42) wp.org #8 ↑2 3 too high 12 Broadcast 1K+ · 4.9★ (214) wp.org #16 4 too low 13 Smart Grid-Layout Design for Contact Form 7 10K+ · 4.5★ (72) wp.org #11 2 too high 14 WP Change Default From Email 9K+ · 4.8★ (21) wp.org #21 7 too low 15 iZooto – Web Push Notifications 900+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #14 1 too high 16 FluentComments – AJAX Comments, Anti-Spam & Comment Email Notifications 700+ · 4.3★ (6) wp.org #15 1 too high 17 P PiwigoPress 200+ · 3.7★ (6) wp.org #13 4 too high 18 WP-Stats 2K+ · 2.6★ (7) wp.org #10 ↓1 8 too high 19 Stunning Related for Posts, Products, Pages and widgets 60+ · 3.4★ (5) wp.org #24 ↓1 5 too low 20 Last Commented Posts Block — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 3 too high 21 Notifal – AI Popup Builder & CRO Engine: Sales Notifications, Social Proof & Exit Intent Popups 50+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #20 1 too high 22 Ultimate Searchable Accordion Lite – WPBakery Page Builder Addon 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #19 3 too high 23 PushAI – Self-Hosted Web Push Notifications 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #22 1 too high 24 Airy Wishlist for WooCommerce 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #23 ↑1 1 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.