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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “compatibility check”

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 “compatibility check”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 16 of the top 20. 1 plugin is 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

Eli's PHP Compatibility Scanner shows at wp.org #4 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 15 places. Its 1K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner places #8 on merit, 4.7★ from 1667 reviews, but shows at wp.org #16. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Check & Log Email – Easy Email Testing & Mail logging 90K+ · 4.8★ (292) wp.org #2 1 too low 2 Plugin Compatibility Checker 9K+ · 4.2★ (12) wp.org #1 1 too high 3 Polylang 900K+ · 4.7★ (3004) wp.org #10 7 too low 4 Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) wp.org #9 5 too low 5 Better Plugin Compatibility Control 4K+ · 4.3★ (19) wp.org #3 2 too high 6 Plugin Check (PCP) 10K+ · 4.5★ (36) wp.org #5 1 too high 7 Widgets for Google Reviews 1M+ · 4.9★ (2667) wp.org #13 6 too low 8 Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ · 4.7★ (1667) wp.org #16 ↑6 8 too low 9 The Events Calendar 600K+ · 4.2★ (2461) wp.org #17 ↓1 8 too low 10 LiteSpeed Cache 7M+ · 4.8★ (2778) wp.org #18 ↓1 8 too low 11 Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (397) wp.org #19 ↑2 8 too low 12 BuddyPress 90K+ · 4.1★ (375) wp.org #15 3 too low 13 WP24 Domain Check 4K+ · 4.3★ (32) wp.org #8 5 too high 14 All-in-One WP Migration and Backup 5M+ · 4.5★ (7676) wp.org #21 ↓1 7 too low 15 PHP Compatibility Checker 200K+ · 2.7★ (131) wp.org #7 8 too high 16 Post Types Order 600K+ · 4.5★ (296) wp.org #20 ↓2 4 too low 17 WP Spell Check 2K+ · 2.9★ (39) wp.org #6 11 too high 18 WooCommerce 7M+ · 4.5★ (4833) wp.org #24 ↓1 6 too low 19 Eli's PHP Compatibility Scanner 1K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #4 15 too high 20 phpinfo() WP – Site Health, PHP Compatibility & Server Audit 3K+ · 4.5★ (8) wp.org #12 ↓1 8 too high 21 Check for Broken Links – Broken Link Checker & SEO Suite 1K+ · 4.0★ (6) wp.org #11 ↑1 10 too high 22 WProofreader spell & grammar check plugin for WordPress 4K+ · 3.7★ (15) wp.org #23 1 too low 23 Rapid Car Check 200+ · 4.2★ (5) wp.org #22 ↓3 1 too high 24 CMS ADMINS Security Check Report 400+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #14 10 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.