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

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 “compiler”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 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

Sass To CSS Compiler shows at wp.org #4 but places #12 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 10+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Loco Translate places #4 on merit, 4.8★ from 453 reviews, but shows at wp.org #24. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Redux Framework 900K+ · 4.4★ (273) wp.org #2 1 too low 2 Kali Forms — Contact Form & Drag-and-Drop Builder 10K+ · 4.8★ (89) wp.org #8 6 too low 3 Crossword Compiler Puzzles 200+ · 2.8★ (5) wp.org #1 2 too high 4 Loco Translate 1M+ · 4.8★ (453) wp.org #24 20 too low 5 Schema Package – Structured Data & Rich Snippets Tool for SEO 200+ · 4.8★ (20) wp.org #17 ↓1 12 too low 6 Layout Recompiler for Brizy 200+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #6 7 Theme SCSS Compiler 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #3 4 too high 8 SCSS WP Editor 800+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #7 1 too high 9 Winden — Tailwind CSS Compiler with Full WordPress Integration 10+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #5 4 too high 10 LandTech Extras for Elementor 80+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #10 ↑10 11 WP Designer – Professional WordPress Design & Customization Tool 60+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #13 ↓1 2 too low 12 Sass To CSS Compiler 10+ · 4.0★ (2) wp.org #4 8 too high 13 SyncRanker – SEO Suite & AI Content Bridge — · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #20 7 too low 14 CompileKit – Tailwind CSS Compiler 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #9 5 too high 15 Feedspace Review Widgets 80+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #11 4 too high 16 Simple Compiler SCSS — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #12 ↓2 4 too high 17 L Lenix scss compiler 700+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #21 ↓2 4 too low 18 Pay4All TWINT – For WooCommerce & Pay4All Shop 80+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #15 ↓2 3 too high 19 Pay4All Age Verification – For WooCommerce & Pay4All Shop 70+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #16 ↓1 3 too high 20 Formdev 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #18 ↓1 2 too high 21 Viraly – Blog to Social Media Auto Post, Scheduler & Analytics 70+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #14 7 too high 22 Simple Custom Code – Custom CSS, JS, and HTML, Visual CSS Customizer 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #19 ↓1 3 too high 23 G GG-Ally Page Builder — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 1 too high 24 Altrix Shipping Profit Guard for WooCommerce — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 ↓2 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.