wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “course administration”
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 “course administration”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 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
PressPrimer Certificate – Certificate Designer & Course Certification for Your LMS shows at wp.org #3 but places #16 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 300+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Popup Maker – Boost Sales, Conversions, Optins, Subscribers with the Ultimate WP Popup Builder places #6 on merit, 4.9★ from 4514 reviews, but shows at wp.org #17. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
FluentCommunity – Ultra-Fast High-Performance Social Network, Community, LMS & Online Courses 8K+ · 4.8★ (96) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #1 2 
WP Activity Log 300K+ · 4.7★ (490)
wp.org #4 ↓1 2 too low 3 
Sensei LMS – Online Courses, Quizzes, & Learning 9K+ · 3.5★ (40) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #2 1 too high 4 
Booking Calendar 40K+ · 4.8★ (657)
wp.org #13 ↓2 9 too low 5 
CMP – Coming Soon & Maintenance Plugin by NiteoThemes 200K+ · 4.7★ (326)
wp.org #11 ↓2 6 too low 6 Popup Maker – Boost Sales, Conversions, Optins, Subscribers with the Ultimate WP Popup Builder 600K+ · 4.9★ (4514)
wp.org #17 ↓4 11 too low 7 
Price Based on Country for WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.8★ (262) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #8 1 too low 8 
Password Protected 300K+ · 4.4★ (142)
wp.org #10 2 too low 9 
Kit (formerly ConvertKit) – Email Newsletter, Email Marketing, Membership, Subscribers and Landing Pages 40K+ · 4.8★ (90)
wp.org #14 5 too low 10 
Points Management System For Gamification, Ranks, Badges, and Loyalty Rewards Program – myCred 10K+ · 4.6★ (472) not PHP-current
wp.org #15 ↓11 5 too low 11 
Easy WP SMTP – WordPress SMTP and Email Logs: Gmail SMTP, Office 365, Outlook, Custom SMTP, and more 500K+ · 4.6★ (709)
wp.org #19 ↓3 8 too low 12 
WPtouch – Make your WordPress Website Mobile-Friendly 40K+ · 3.7★ (341) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #9 ↓2 3 too high 13 
Subscriptions for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.5★ (180) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #12 ↓2 1 too high 14 
Media Library Organizer – Folders, File Manager & Media Categories 20K+ · 4.7★ (150) not PHP-current
wp.org #18 ↓3 4 too low 15 
AI 60K+ · 4.2★ (10) thin reviews
wp.org #7 8 too high 16 PressPrimer Certificate – Certificate Designer & Course Certification for Your LMS 300+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #3 13 too high 17 
Document Embedder – let visitors read files without downloading 9K+ · 4.9★ (120) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #22 ↓3 5 too low 18 
Online Buchungssystem – edoobox 200+ · 4.3★ (8) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #5 13 too high 19 
Acadlix LMS – AI Quiz Maker, Online Exam & Course Plugin for WordPress 40+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #6 13 too high 20 
Vimeotheque – Vimeo WordPress Plugin & Video Gallery 2K+ · 4.6★ (26)
wp.org #24 ↓2 4 too low 21 
Kit (formerly ConvertKit) for WooCommerce 4K+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #16 ↓4 5 too high 22 
Subscriptions for WooCommerce Recurring Payments with Membership Content Restriction 500+ · 5.0★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #20 ↓2 2 too high 23 
Confirm Theme Structure 100+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #23 ↓3 24 
RTL Localization & Fonts 1K+ · 5.0★ (2) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #21 ↓4 3 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.