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

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 “completion”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 14 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

Product Completion Emails for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #2 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 17 places. Its 70+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

WP Activity Log places #11 on merit, 4.7★ from 490 reviews, but shows at wp.org #21. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More 5M+ · 4.8★ (14387) wp.org #1 2 Quiz Maker by AYS 20K+ · 4.9★ (601) wp.org #4 ↑5 2 too low 3 HD Quiz 6K+ · 4.9★ (145) wp.org #8 ↓1 5 too low 4 Uncanny Toolkit for LearnDash 20K+ · 4.8★ (105) wp.org #9 ↑1 5 too low 5 File Manager Pro – Filester 100K+ · 4.9★ (155) wp.org #10 ↑6 5 too low 6 Masteriyo LMS – LMS Course Builder, Quizzes & Certificates 6K+ · 4.8★ (184) wp.org #6 7 FluentCRM – Email Newsletter, Automation, Email Marketing, Email Campaigns, Optins, Leads, and CRM Solution 80K+ · 4.8★ (250) wp.org #11 ↑2 4 too low 8 CompressX — AVIF & WebP Converter, Media Replacement 40K+ · 5.0★ (197) wp.org #13 ↑2 5 too low 9 Fluent Forms – Customizable Contact Forms, Survey, Quiz, & Conversational Form Builder 800K+ · 4.8★ (807) wp.org #15 ↓3 6 too low 10 Booking Package 10K+ · 4.0★ (15) wp.org #5 5 too high 11 WP Activity Log 300K+ · 4.7★ (490) wp.org #21 10 too low 12 MetForm – Contact Form, Survey, Quiz, Conditional Forms, Form Templates & Custom Form Builder for Elementor 500K+ · 4.7★ (509) wp.org #14 ↑3 2 too low 13 Payment Button for PayPal 4K+ · 4.5★ (40) wp.org #12 ↓1 1 too high 14 Radius Portfolio – Filterable Grid, Gallery & Slider Portfolio 7K+ · 4.6★ (38) wp.org #18 ↑2 4 too low 15 Multi Page Auto Advance for Gravity Forms 2K+ · 4.3★ (20) wp.org #17 ↑2 2 too low 16 WPComplete 1K+ · 4.1★ (43) wp.org #23 ↑1 7 too low 17 EMC – Embed Calendly Scheduling With Ease 10K+ · 4.8★ (14) wp.org #20 ↑2 3 too low 18 Controls for Contact Form 7 (Redirects, Analytics & Tracking) 10K+ · 5.0★ (13) wp.org #24 6 too low 19 Product Completion Emails for WooCommerce 70+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #2 17 too high 20 Manual Completions for LearnDash 200+ · 2.5★ (2) wp.org #3 17 too high 21 Manual Completions TutorLMS 200+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #7 ↓3 14 too high 22 PressPrimer Certificate – Certificate Designer & Course Certification for Your LMS 300+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #19 3 too high 23 Manual Completions for LearnPress 70+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #16 ↑2 7 too high 24 myCred Addons – Ultimate myCred Modules To Support WordPress Gamification and Loyalty Rewards 400+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #22 ↑1 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.