wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “covid19”

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 “covid19”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 of the top 18. 8 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

South African COVID19 Banner shows at wp.org #3 but places #7 on merit, a gap of 4 places. Its 50+ 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.

merit plugin signals wp.org

COVID19 – Coronavirus Outbreak Data 200+ · 5.0★ (16) closure risk thin reviewsstale but ranked wp.org #2 1 too low 2

Corona Bangladesh Live 30+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews wp.org #1 1 too high 3

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Live Update Popup 10+ · 5.0★ (7) closure risk thin reviewsstale but ranked wp.org #7 4 too low 4

VirusWeather Covid-19 Coronavirus 30+ · 4.9★ (8) closure risk thin reviewsstale but ranked wp.org #8 4 too low 5

Coronavirus Info 10+ · 5.0★ (5) closure risk thin reviewsstale but ranked wp.org #10 5 too low 6

Coronavirus Spread Prediction Tools Free Version 10+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviewsstale but ranked wp.org #5 ↑1 1 too high 7

South African COVID19 Banner 50+ · 5.0★ (1) closure risk thin reviewsstale but ranked wp.org #3 4 too high 8 W WP-C19Ampel 10+ · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviewslow rating, top placementstale but ranked wp.org #4 4 too high 9

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Symptom Checker by Symptoma 20+ · 4.0★ (1) closure risk thin reviewsstale but ranked wp.org #6 ↓1 3 too high 10

Corona Stats Live – Corona Virus COVID-19 Live Stats for WordPress Lite 10+ · 5.0★ (3) not PHP-currentclosure risk thin reviews wp.org #16 6 too low 11

Corona Meter India 10+ · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviewsstale but ranked wp.org #9 2 too high 12

Corona Virus Live Ticker — · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviews wp.org #14 2 too low 13

COVID-19 Corona Virus Live Stats & Updates For WordPress Lite 10+ · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviews wp.org #15 2 too low 14

Covid-19 Live Tracker 10+ · 5.0★ (1) closure risk thin reviews wp.org #12 2 too high 15 C Covid 19 Live Updates Widgets 10+ · 5.0★ (1) closure risk thin reviews wp.org #11 4 too high 16 C Covid-19 Nepal 10+ · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviews wp.org #18 2 too low 17 C COVID19TRACKER 10+ · 5.0★ (1) closure risk thin reviews wp.org #13 4 too high 18

Covid-19 Live Stats Lite 10+ · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviews wp.org #17 1 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.