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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “creator id”

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 “creator id”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 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

Rapls PDF Image Creator – PDF Thumbnails & Featured Images shows at wp.org #8 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 100+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

MaxButtons – Create buttons places #9 on merit, 4.9★ from 1093 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 Coupon Creator 1K+ · 4.3★ (37) wp.org #1 2 Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI 10M+ · 4.8★ (27821) wp.org #6 4 too low 3 Custom Post Types and Custom Fields creator – WCK 10K+ · 4.7★ (97) wp.org #2 1 too high 4 Masteriyo LMS – LMS Course Builder, Quizzes & Certificates 6K+ · 4.8★ (184) wp.org #3 1 too high 5 Easy Digital Downloads – eCommerce Payments and Subscriptions made easy 40K+ · 4.7★ (591) wp.org #7 2 too low 6 Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) 2M+ · 4.5★ (1440) wp.org #5 1 too high 7 WPVibe – MCP Server for WordPress, works with Claude, ChatGPT & other AI MCP agents 100K+ · 5.0★ (199) wp.org #10 3 too low 8 Link in Bio Creator – Social 2K+ · 4.3★ (21) wp.org #4 4 too high 9 MaxButtons – Create buttons 70K+ · 4.9★ (1093) wp.org #20 11 too low 10 My Calendar – Accessible Event Manager 20K+ · 4.7★ (159) wp.org #15 5 too low 11 Post Duplicator 200K+ · 4.8★ (80) wp.org #14 3 too low 12 MPL-Publisher — Ebook & Audiobook Creator 700+ · 4.9★ (46) wp.org #12 13 Creator LMS – WordPress LMS Plugin for Coaches, Cohorts & Course Creators 100+ · 5.0★ (16) wp.org #9 4 too high 14 WPVR – 360 Panorama viewer and Virtual Tour Builder for WordPress 10K+ · 4.7★ (133) wp.org #19 5 too low 15 Simply Static – The Static Site Generator 30K+ · 4.5★ (195) wp.org #24 9 too low 16 Create 6K+ · 4.3★ (25) wp.org #13 3 too high 17 Secure Custom Fields 100K+ · 4.8★ (69) wp.org #22 5 too low 18 C Child Theme Creator by Orbisius 10K+ · 4.0★ (44) wp.org #16 2 too high 19 ATUM WooCommerce Inventory Management and Stock Tracking 10K+ · 4.7★ (128) wp.org #23 4 too low 20 Web Accessibility (formally known as Ally) – WCAG Scanning, Guided Fixes, Usability Widget 500K+ · 2.9★ (162) wp.org #18 2 too high 21 Rapls PDF Image Creator – PDF Thumbnails & Featured Images 100+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #8 13 too high 22 Hostinger Reach – AI-Powered Email Marketing for WordPress 1M+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #11 11 too high 23 WPGraphQL Yoast SEO Addon 10K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #21 2 too high 24 Simple Course Creator 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #17 7 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.