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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “current year shortcode”

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 “current year shortcode”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 of the top 20. 2 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

Dynamic Copyright Year Customizer shows at wp.org #6 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 17 places. Its 200+ 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.

Buried gem

User Profile Builder – Beautiful User Registration Forms, User Profiles & User Role Editor places #11 on merit, 4.7★ from 738 reviews, but shows at wp.org #19. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Shortcode for Current Date 10K+ · 5.0★ (116) wp.org #3 2 too low 2 Current Year, Symbols and IP Shortcode 10K+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #1 1 too high 3 The Events Calendar Shortcode & Block 10K+ · 4.7★ (101) wp.org #7 ↑1 4 too low 4 WP Date and Time Shortcode 10K+ · 4.9★ (31) wp.org #5 1 too low 5 Dynamic Month & Year into Posts 8K+ · 5.0★ (18) wp.org #4 1 too high 6 Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ · 4.7★ (1668) wp.org #13 ↑5 7 too low 7 Current Year Shortcode VICT 800+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #2 5 too high 8 Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408) wp.org #11 ↑6 3 too low 9 The Events Calendar 600K+ · 4.2★ (2461) wp.org #15 6 too low 10 Photo Gallery, Sliders, Proofing and Themes – NextGEN Gallery 300K+ · 4.3★ (4342) wp.org #14 4 too low 11 User Profile Builder – Beautiful User Registration Forms, User Profiles & User Role Editor 40K+ · 4.7★ (738) wp.org #19 ↑1 8 too low 12 Snippet Shortcodes 3K+ · 4.7★ (25) wp.org #8 ↓2 4 too high 13 Content Views – Post Grid & Filter (Shortcode, Blocks, Elementor Widgets) 100K+ · 4.8★ (333) wp.org #17 ↓4 4 too low 14 Table of Contents Plus – Automatic Table of Contents for Posts & Pages 200K+ · 4.5★ (187) wp.org #16 2 too low 15 Modula Image Gallery – Photo Grid & Video Gallery 100K+ · 4.7★ (616) wp.org #23 ↑1 8 too low 16 Redirection 2M+ · 4.4★ (703) wp.org #18 ↑1 2 too low 17 Social Chat – Click To Chat App Button 200K+ · 4.9★ (696) wp.org #22 5 too low 18 Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) 2M+ · 4.5★ (1440) wp.org #20 2 too low 19 GenerateBlocks 200K+ · 4.9★ (122) wp.org #24 5 too low 20 Years Ago Today 100+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #21 ↑1 1 too low 21 Smart Copyright Year (Lite) – Auto Current Year Updater Shortcode 200+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #10 11 too high 22 Dynamic Copyright Year 800+ · 3.0★ (3) wp.org #9 13 too high 23 Dynamic Copyright Year Customizer 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #6 ↑1 17 too high 24 Current Year Shortcode 70+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #12 12 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.