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

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 “crud”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 of the top 20. 3 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

Simple REST API Authenticaton with WooCommerce Credentials shows at wp.org #8 but places #17 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 60+ 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 wp.org
1 Royal MCP – Secure AI Connector for Claude, ChatGPT & any LLM via MCP 10K+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #1 2 Subscriptions for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.5★ (180) wp.org #5 3 too low 3 Custom API for WP 1K+ · 4.8★ (45) wp.org #4 1 too low 4 Simple Table Manager 400+ · 4.8★ (4) wp.org #2 2 too high 5 Crudiator 100+ · 4.7★ (6) wp.org #7 2 too low 6 Advance User Post CRUD 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #3 3 too high 7 Merchant Center Reviews for WooCommerce 800+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #6 1 too high 8 B Bitron Right of Withdrawal 400+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #12 ↑1 4 too low 9 SiteSkite – Secure MCP & AI WebOps. Connect ChatGPT, Claude, or Any AI Agent via MCP 200+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #24 15 too low 10 PixelVault – Media Library Folders, Document Library & File Manager 200+ · 4.0★ (4) wp.org #15 ↓1 5 too low 11 Check Pincode For WooCommerce 300+ · 4.4★ (5) wp.org #17 6 too low 12 NextXen Designer – Product Customizer for WooCommerce 60+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #16 4 too low 13 Recojo por otra persona 20+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #9 4 too high 14 API Isarud Tüm Pazar Yerleri Ticaret Entegrasyonu 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #10 ↓1 4 too high 15 Simple Notes CRUD — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #14 ↓3 1 too high 16 PHP Constants Manager 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #11 ↓1 5 too high 17 Simple REST API Authenticaton with WooCommerce Credentials 60+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #8 9 too high 18 WaffleDB 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #13 ↓1 5 too high 19 Frontend Dashboard Custom Post and Taxonomies 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #18 ↓3 1 too high 20 Thermal Receipt Printer for WooCommerce 40+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 2 too low 21 Aticolor Palettes – Color Palette Manager for Designers 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #19 ↓1 2 too high 22 VR-Frases 30+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #21 ↓1 1 too high 23 MCP Content Manager Lite 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 ↓2 24 WPMelon Advanced Bulk Edit for WooCommerce 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #20 ↓1 4 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.