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

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 “convenient”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 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

Useful Blocks shows at wp.org #3 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 17 places. Its 10K+ 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

Smash Balloon Social Photo Feed – Easy Social Feeds Plugin places #10 on merit, 4.9★ from 4358 reviews, but shows at wp.org #20. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Debug Log Manager – Conveniently Monitor and Inspect Errors 10K+ · 5.0★ (25) wp.org #2 ↓1 1 too low 2 WooPayments: Integrated WooCommerce Payments 800K+ · 3.4★ (177) wp.org #1 ↑1 1 too high 3 Security Optimizer – The All-In-One Protection Plugin 1M+ · 4.5★ (157) wp.org #4 ↑9 1 too low 4 FunnelKit Payment Gateway for Stripe WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.9★ (53) wp.org #5 1 too low 5 Advanced File Manager – Ultimate File Manager for WordPress And Document Library Solution 100K+ · 4.8★ (441) wp.org #8 3 too low 6 Comments – wpDiscuz 60K+ · 4.7★ (581) wp.org #6 ↓2 7 Booking for Appointments and Events Calendar – Amelia 90K+ · 4.6★ (793) wp.org #12 ↑4 5 too low 8 Site Reviews 60K+ · 4.9★ (376) wp.org #13 ↓4 5 too low 9 User Profile Builder – Beautiful User Registration Forms, User Profiles & User Role Editor 40K+ · 4.7★ (738) wp.org #16 ↑1 7 too low 10 Smash Balloon Social Photo Feed – Easy Social Feeds Plugin 1M+ · 4.9★ (4358) wp.org #20 ↓10 10 too low 11 To Top 60K+ · 4.8★ (54) wp.org #10 ↓2 1 too high 12 Simple Membership 40K+ · 4.6★ (475) wp.org #15 3 too low 13 Advanced Dynamic Pricing and Discount Rules for WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.7★ (122) wp.org #21 8 too low 14 Add to Calendar Button 3K+ · 5.0★ (11) wp.org #9 ↓3 5 too high 15 PW WooCommerce Gift Cards 20K+ · 4.7★ (195) wp.org #24 ↓5 9 too low 16 WPC Smart Wishlist for WooCommerce 100K+ · 4.8★ (34) wp.org #14 ↓3 2 too high 17 Edit Flow 4K+ · 4.2★ (50) wp.org #22 ↓2 5 too low 18 Ray Enterprise Translation 7K+ · 2.6★ (48) wp.org #11 7 too high 19 Chwazi – Delivery & Pickup Scheduling for WooCommerce 500+ · 5.0★ (30) wp.org #23 ↓5 4 too low 20 Useful Blocks 10K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #3 17 too high 21 Order Delivery Date And Time 1K+ · 4.6★ (19) wp.org #17 ↓5 4 too high 22 WCBoost – Products Compare 30K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #7 15 too high 23 Morning for WooCommerce 1K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #18 ↓4 5 too high 24 Checkout with Zelle on Woocommerce 3K+ · 3.4★ (5) 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.