Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

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

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 “cons”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 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 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

Responsive Pros and Cons Block for Gutenberg shows at wp.org #5 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 200+ installs carry it up the search order; its 0.0★ average from 0 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Bulk Edit Products for WooCommerce – WP Sheet Editor places #6 on merit, 4.9★ from 228 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 RioVizual — Table Blocks for Comparison, Pricing and Pros & Cons 1K+ · 4.6★ (12) wp.org #1 2 Asesor de Cookies RGPD para normativa europea 20K+ · 3.9★ (59) wp.org #3 ↑1 1 too low 3 Accesibilidad Web con el Widget de AccedeMe 1K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #2 1 too high 4 Schema & Structured Data for WP & AMP 100K+ · 4.5★ (252) wp.org #10 ↑2 6 too low 5 Protección de datos – RGPD 7K+ · 4.8★ (5) wp.org #4 ↑1 1 too high 6 Bulk Edit Products for WooCommerce – WP Sheet Editor 10K+ · 4.9★ (228) wp.org #16 ↑5 10 too low 7 Make Tables Responsive 6K+ · 5.0★ (34) wp.org #17 ↑2 10 too low 8 AffiliateX – Amazon Affiliate Plugin, Product Boxes, Comparison Tables & Affiliate Link Tracking 9K+ · 4.5★ (35) wp.org #15 ↑2 7 too low 9 EnvíaloSimple: Email Marketing y Newsletters 1K+ · 5.0★ (9) wp.org #11 ↓3 2 too low 10 Mantenimiento web 20K+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #9 ↑1 1 too high 11 Absolute Reviews 6K+ · 4.0★ (8) wp.org #8 ↑1 3 too high 12 Transbank Webpay 10K+ · 3.6★ (14) wp.org #7 5 too high 13 Bold pagos en linea 5K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #6 7 too high 14 Lawwwing | Textos legales web y Banner de cookies 700+ · 4.6★ (10) wp.org #14 15 Culqi Full Integracion 300+ · 4.9★ (10) wp.org #18 3 too low 16 Amministrazione Trasparente 1K+ · 4.9★ (25) wp.org #20 ↑2 4 too low 17 Voyapp Chile – Lugares y Cotizador de Despachos 300+ · 4.8★ (16) wp.org #24 7 too low 18 Responsive Pros and Cons Block for Gutenberg 200+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #5 ↓2 13 too high 19 ANAC XML Viewer 1K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #19 ↑4 20 Fastcache by Host.it 1K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #13 7 too high 21 FacturaONE para WooCommerce con VeriFactu 40+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #12 ↓1 9 too high 22 Andreani WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.2★ (5) wp.org #21 ↓6 1 too high 23 Partita Iva per Fattura Elettronica 200+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #22 1 too high 24 PAYCOMET for WooCommerce 2K+ · 2.5★ (4) wp.org #23 ↓7 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.