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← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “content holders”

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 “content holders”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 14 of the top 20. 6 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

Checkout Gateway for IRIS shows at wp.org #5 but places #14 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 1K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

CMB2 places #12 on merit, 5.0★ from 91 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 MxChat – AI Chatbot & Content Generation for WordPress 2K+ · 5.0★ (31) wp.org #1 2 Sugar Calendar – Events Calendar, Event Tickets, and Events Management Platform 10K+ · 4.5★ (24) wp.org #2 3 Quick Featured Images 50K+ · 4.7★ (235) wp.org #7 4 too low 4 Image Source Control Lite – Show Image Credits and Captions 3K+ · 4.6★ (42) wp.org #4 5 My Tickets – Accessible Event Ticketing 600+ · 4.9★ (27) wp.org #6 1 too low 6 picu – Online Photo Proofing Gallery 2K+ · 4.7★ (55) wp.org #10 4 too low 7 Qi Addons For Elementor 200K+ · 4.8★ (205) wp.org #17 10 too low 8 SEO Booster 800+ · 4.8★ (54) wp.org #15 7 too low 9 FluentCart A New Era of eCommerce – Faster, Lighter, and Simpler 9K+ · 4.5★ (46) wp.org #18 9 too low 10 Event Tickets with Ticket Scanner 1K+ · 4.8★ (24) wp.org #14 4 too low 11 Checkout with Zelle on Woocommerce 3K+ · 3.4★ (5) wp.org #3 8 too high 12 CMB2 300K+ · 5.0★ (91) wp.org #24 12 too low 13 Add to Home Screen & Progressive Web App 1K+ · 3.7★ (25) wp.org #16 3 too low 14 Checkout Gateway for IRIS 1K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #5 9 too high 15 CubeWP Framework 3K+ · 4.8★ (12) wp.org #13 2 too high 16 Payment gateway via Teya SecurePay for WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.8★ (4) wp.org #8 8 too high 17 Registration Form for WooCommerce 1K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #9 8 too high 18 Skrill – WooCommerce 300+ · 4.0★ (4) wp.org #12 6 too high 19 A Add Email Signature 200+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #11 8 too high 20 Ultimate Watermark – Image Watermark, Image Protection & Bulk Watermarking 1K+ · 3.3★ (11) wp.org #22 2 too low 21 Email Inquiry & Cart Options for WooCommerce 800+ · 3.2★ (20) wp.org #23 2 too low 22 Web3 Access 40+ · 4.2★ (6) wp.org #20 2 too high 23 Flexible Wishlist for WooCommerce – Ecommerce Wishlist & Save for later 700+ · 4.4★ (5) wp.org #21 2 too high 24 Get Cash 400+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #19 5 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.