wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “crop factor”

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 “crop factor”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 of the top 17.

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

APS-C Crop shows at wp.org #7 but places #15 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its — 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

Timeline Express places #9 on merit, 4.3★ from 165 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 signals wp.org

Simple History – Track, Log, and Audit WordPress Changes 300K+ · 4.9★ (491) wp.org #1 2

ShortPixel Image Optimizer – Optimize Images, Convert WebP & AVIF 300K+ · 4.5★ (830) wp.org #2 3

ShortPixel Adaptive Images – WebP, AVIF, CDN, Image Optimization 10K+ · 4.8★ (145) wp.org #3 4

Image Photo Gallery Final Tiles Grid 20K+ · 4.7★ (353) wp.org #4 5

Modula Image Gallery – Photo Grid & Video Gallery 100K+ · 4.7★ (616) wp.org #5 6

Slider by 10Web – Responsive Image Slider 10K+ · 4.5★ (289) wp.org #10 4 too low 7

UsersWP – Front-end login form, User Registration, User Profile & Members Directory plugin for WP 20K+ · 4.7★ (183) wp.org #11 4 too low 8 S Send From 500+ · 5.0★ (8) thin reviews wp.org #6 2 too high 9

Timeline Express 8K+ · 4.3★ (165) closure risk wp.org #16 ↑2 7 too low 10

Cloudinary – Deliver Images and Videos at Scale 5K+ · 4.0★ (64) wp.org #13 3 too low 11

YOOAdmin 10+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews wp.org #8 3 too high 12

Genesis Super Customizer 200+ · 4.2★ (13) closure risk thin reviews wp.org #17 ↑2 5 too low 13

a3 Portfolio 100+ · 3.0★ (12) thin reviews wp.org #9 4 too high 14

Auto Smart Thumbnails 50+ · 4.3★ (6) closure risk thin reviews wp.org #15 ↑2 1 too low 15

APS-C Crop — · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews wp.org #7 8 too high 16

SazKit – Product Gallery for WooCommerce — · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews wp.org #12 4 too high 17

Brigade Blocks Addons — · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews wp.org #14 ↑1 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.