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

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 transparency”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 of the top 20. 3 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

Klarvo AI Transparency for EU AI Act shows at wp.org #3 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 17 places. Its 20+ 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

Favicon by RealFaviconGenerator places #8 on merit, 4.9★ from 802 reviews, but shows at wp.org #18. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 WP Content Copy Protection & No Right Click 100K+ · 4.8★ (1138) wp.org #1 2 User Registration & Membership – Free & Paid Memberships, Subscriptions, Content Restriction, User Profile, Custom User Registration & Login Builder 50K+ · 4.8★ (832) wp.org #4 2 too low 3 MxChat – AI Chatbot & Content Generation for WordPress 2K+ · 5.0★ (31) wp.org #2 1 too high 4 Tutor LMS – eLearning and online course solution 100K+ · 4.4★ (590) wp.org #5 1 too low 5 Image Watermark 40K+ · 4.2★ (298) wp.org #10 ↓1 5 too low 6 Statify 100K+ · 4.8★ (51) wp.org #8 2 too low 7 Side Cart Woocommerce | Woocommerce Cart 70K+ · 4.9★ (453) wp.org #16 ↓6 9 too low 8 Favicon by RealFaviconGenerator 200K+ · 4.9★ (802) wp.org #18 ↓2 10 too low 9 Real Cookie Banner: GDPR & ePrivacy Cookie Consent 100K+ · 4.9★ (492) wp.org #14 ↓1 5 too low 10 PNG to JPG 10K+ · 4.7★ (40) wp.org #9 1 too high 11 WPConsent – Cookie Banner & Cookie Consent for Privacy Compliance (GDPR / CCPA / EU Compliance Cookie Notice) 200K+ · 4.8★ (84) wp.org #13 ↓1 2 too low 12 Advanced WordPress Backgrounds 30K+ · 4.8★ (44) wp.org #11 ↑6 1 too high 13 I iframe 60K+ · 4.4★ (56) wp.org #12 ↓1 1 too high 14 Resize Image After Upload 80K+ · 4.8★ (56) wp.org #17 ↓2 3 too low 15 Auto Featured Image (Auto Post Thumbnail) 40K+ · 3.8★ (119) wp.org #15 ↓1 16 Redirection for Contact Form 7 200K+ · 4.7★ (275) wp.org #21 ↓3 5 too low 17 Widgets for Social Photo Feed 10K+ · 4.7★ (28) wp.org #19 ↑1 2 too low 18 Hostinger Reach – AI-Powered Email Marketing for WordPress 1M+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #7 11 too high 19 ReCrawler 3K+ · 5.0★ (11) wp.org #23 ↓2 4 too low 20 Klarvo AI Transparency for EU AI Act 20+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #3 17 too high 21 Statify Widget 4K+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #22 1 too low 22 AIM Transparency – AI Disclosure for EU AI Act 90+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #6 16 too high 23 AI Copilot – ChatGPT Chatbot & AI Engine for Post Automation 1K+ · 4.2★ (6) wp.org #24 1 too low 24 Auto Update Post Date 2K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #20 ↓1 4 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.