wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “comming soon”
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 “comming soon”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 15 of the top 20. 5 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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.
Ranked above its merit
Envo's Templates & Widgets for Elementor and WooCommerce shows at wp.org #3 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 19 places. Its 9K+ 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 #4 on merit, 4.0★ from 162 reviews, but shows at wp.org #13. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Essential Classy Addons for Elementor – 150+ Widgets, Templates & Performance Tools 400+ · 5.0★ (8) thin reviews
wp.org #4 2 too low 3 
Plugins Garbage Collector (Database Cleanup) 10K+ · 4.4★ (92)
wp.org #11 8 too low 4 Schema – All In One Schema Rich Snippets 30K+ · 4.0★ (162)
wp.org #13 9 too low 5 
Advanced Chart for Elementor 80+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #1 4 too high 6 
Maika Genius — AI Content & Chatbot with ChatGPT and Gemini for WooCommerce 20+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #5 1 too high 7 
FormLift for Keap (Legacy) Web Forms 300+ · 4.6★ (12) thin reviews
wp.org #16 9 too low 8 
Sofortueberweisung Gateway for Woocommerce 600+ · 5.0★ (7) closure risk thin reviews
wp.org #18 10 too low 9 O OAuth client Single Sign On for WordPress ( OAuth 2.0 SSO ) 200+ · 4.1★ (8) closure risk thin reviews
wp.org #14 5 too low 10 
Better Addons for Elementor 4K+ · 3.0★ (3) thin reviewslow rating, top placement
wp.org #2 8 too high 11 R Really Simple Calendar 200+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews
wp.org #6 5 too high 12 
Bulk Edit for WooCommerce 10+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviewsstale but ranked
wp.org #8 4 too high 13 
Xero Addons for Elementor — · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews
wp.org #12 1 too high 14 
TomS reCAPTCHA 500+ · 5.0★ (1) closure risk thin reviewsstale but ranked
wp.org #9 5 too high 15 
Name: Amazing Neo Brands 10+ · 5.0★ (1) closure risk thin reviewsstale but ranked
wp.org #10 5 too high 16 
Licenses Manager for WooCommerce 10+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews
wp.org #19 3 too low 17 
Robust User Search 10+ · 5.0★ (1) closure risk thin reviews
wp.org #15 2 too high 18 
TomS Vaptcha — · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviews
wp.org #20 2 too low 19 P Personal Data Manager — · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviews
wp.org #23 4 too low 20 S SmartPablo.com — · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviews
wp.org #24 4 too low 21 
WP Post Controller — · 5.0★ (1) closure risk thin reviews
wp.org #21 22 Envo's Templates & Widgets for Elementor and WooCommerce 9K+ · 1.0★ (1) thin reviewslow rating, top placement
wp.org #3 19 too high 23 W WP Portfolio Gallery 10+ · 3.0★ (1) closure risk thin reviews
wp.org #17 6 too high 24 
Addon Package for Elementor 30+ · 1.0★ (1) closure risk thin reviews
wp.org #22 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.