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← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “copyright statement”

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

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.

Ranked above its merit

Current Year Shortcode shows at wp.org #7 but places #16 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 70+ 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

rtMedia for WordPress, BuddyPress and bbPress places #9 on merit, 3.7★ from 152 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 UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8708) wp.org #1 2 WPBruiser Security – No CAPTCHA Anti-Spam & Login Protection 10K+ · 4.6★ (213) wp.org #2 3 WP Custom Admin Interface 30K+ · 4.7★ (160) wp.org #8 5 too low 4 Dynamic Year Block 2K+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #3 1 too high 5 Leaflet Maps Marker (Google Maps, OpenStreetMap, Bing Maps) 9K+ · 4.6★ (244) wp.org #10 5 too low 6 teachPress 2K+ · 4.8★ (25) wp.org #11 5 too low 7 TemplateSpare – 1000+ WordPress Starter Templates & Full Site Migration Tool | 1-Click Import/Export & No-Code Builder 10K+ · 4.3★ (6) wp.org #5 2 too high 8 EleSpare – News, Magazine and Blog Addons for Elementor 10K+ · 4.9★ (44) wp.org #19 ↓1 11 too low 9 rtMedia for WordPress, BuddyPress and bbPress 7K+ · 3.7★ (152) wp.org #16 7 too low 10 jQuery Post Splitter 100+ · 4.6★ (37) wp.org #20 10 too low 11 AntiSpam for Contact Form 7 10K+ · 4.2★ (13) wp.org #13 2 too low 12 Open Accessibility 50+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #4 8 too high 13 Bible Reading Plans 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #6 7 too high 14 Simple Custom Content 100+ · 4.8★ (6) wp.org #18 ↓1 4 too low 15 Simba Plugin Updates Manager 30+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #17 2 too low 16 Current Year Shortcode 70+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #7 9 too high 17 Clockinator Lite 90+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #12 5 too high 18 The Word Widget 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #9 9 too high 19 Fleet Agent Site Manager – Securely Connects Your Sites to a WPMgr Dashboard 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #21 ↓2 2 too low 20 Wxs Text Watermarking 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #14 6 too high 21 Weblix Analytics – Real-Time Stats & Visitor Counter 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #15 6 too high 22 Libration Accessibility Widget, Checker and Real Code Fixes – WCAG and EAA 20+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #22 ↓1 23 Registration Email Blocker 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #23 ↓3 24 Section Collection – Add Ready-made Sections to Design Modern Websites 400+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #24

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.