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

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 “compose”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.

P

Ranked above its merit

Page Optimize shows at wp.org #1 but places #11 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 200K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.0★ average from 5 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Advanced Woo Search – Product Search for WooCommerce places #10 on merit, 4.8★ from 248 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 Media Library Assistant 70K+ · 4.8★ (202) wp.org #2 1 too low 2 Qi Addons For Elementor 200K+ · 4.8★ (205) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 Mail logging & Catcher 20K+ · 4.9★ (108) wp.org #5 2 too low 4 Dark Mode – Improve Accessibility with AI Powered Dark Theme 20K+ · 4.5★ (391) wp.org #8 4 too low 5 Sender – Newsletter, SMS and Email Marketing Automation for WooCommerce 5K+ · 4.8★ (83) wp.org #6 1 too low 6 Send Users Email – Email Subscribers, Email Marketing Newsletter 5K+ · 4.5★ (28) wp.org #4 2 too high 7 Content Egg – Affiliate Product Importer & Price Comparison 10K+ · 3.9★ (56) wp.org #7 8 AutomatorWP – No-Code Workflow Automation, Integration & Webhooks Plugin, now with AI 6K+ · 4.8★ (202) wp.org #14 ↓1 6 too low 9 MKL Product Configurator for WooCommerce – 2D & 3D Live Preview 2K+ · 4.8★ (42) wp.org #10 1 too low 10 Advanced Woo Search – Product Search for WooCommerce 60K+ · 4.8★ (248) wp.org #21 11 too low 11 P Page Optimize 200K+ · 3.0★ (5) wp.org #1 10 too high 12 Web Stories 60K+ · 4.2★ (87) wp.org #19 ↑1 7 too low 13 Wise Chat 4K+ · 4.4★ (105) wp.org #22 9 too low 14 Press This 5K+ · 3.7★ (25) wp.org #12 ↓1 2 too high 15 Qi Blocks 60K+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #9 6 too high 16 WP to CRM Lead Sync 90+ · 4.5★ (23) wp.org #18 ↑1 2 too low 17 Blocks for ACF Fields — Display Custom Fields in the Block Editor 2K+ · 4.9★ (13) wp.org #20 ↓3 3 too low 18 ELEX WooCommerce Role Based Pricing 2K+ · 4.1★ (14) wp.org #16 2 too high 19 Pearl – Header Builder 5K+ · 3.3★ (13) wp.org #17 ↑1 2 too high 20 PressedMail – Email Client, Inbox & Webmail 100+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #11 ↑1 9 too high 21 B BuddyProfileMessageUX Free 50+ · 4.0★ (8) wp.org #24 3 too low 22 Simple X Buttons – Share, Follow, Mention & Hashtag for WordPress 90+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #13 ↑2 9 too high 23 QODE Quick View for WooCommerce 10K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #15 ↓1 8 too high 24 SMTP for Contact Form 7 1K+ · 4.0★ (2) wp.org #23 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.