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

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 “customise”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 of the top 20. 4 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

WooSwipe WooCommerce Gallery shows at wp.org #9 but places #16 on merit, a gap of 7 places. Its 3K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.5★ average from 39 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

WP Mobile Menu – The Mobile-Friendly Responsive Menu places #7 on merit, 4.7★ from 256 reviews, but shows at wp.org #12. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance 1M+ · 4.8★ (2614) wp.org #1 2 Max Mega Menu 300K+ · 4.8★ (878) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 White Label CMS 200K+ · 4.7★ (114) wp.org #2 1 too high 4 All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1717) wp.org #4 5 Redirection 2M+ · 4.4★ (703) wp.org #5 6 Customize WordPress Emails and Alerts – Better Notifications for WP 30K+ · 4.8★ (184) wp.org #6 7 WP Mobile Menu – The Mobile-Friendly Responsive Menu 70K+ · 4.7★ (256) wp.org #12 ↑2 5 too low 8 WP Custom Admin Interface 30K+ · 4.7★ (160) wp.org #7 ↑1 1 too high 9 AccessiYes Accessibility Widget for ADA, EAA & WCAG Readiness 20K+ · 4.8★ (36) wp.org #8 ↓1 1 too high 10 Child Theme Wizard 10K+ · 4.9★ (36) wp.org #11 1 too low 11 Age Gate 40K+ · 4.6★ (64) wp.org #13 ↓1 2 too low 12 WebberZone Top 10 — Popular Posts 10K+ · 4.6★ (101) wp.org #17 ↓4 5 too low 13 Table of Contents Plus – Automatic Table of Contents for Posts & Pages 200K+ · 4.5★ (183) wp.org #18 ↑1 5 too low 14 Remove "Powered by WordPress" 20K+ · 4.4★ (21) wp.org #10 4 too high 15 Easy Property Listings 5K+ · 4.7★ (112) wp.org #15 16 WooSwipe WooCommerce Gallery 3K+ · 4.5★ (39) wp.org #9 7 too high 17 Coupon Affiliates – Affiliate Plugin for WooCommerce 5K+ · 4.9★ (77) wp.org #16 ↑1 1 too high 18 YITH WooCommerce Wishlist 400K+ · 3.9★ (262) wp.org #14 ↑2 4 too high 19 Style Kits for Elementor 10K+ · 4.7★ (44) wp.org #22 ↑1 3 too low 20 ELEX WooCommerce Request a Quote 2K+ · 4.7★ (23) wp.org #21 1 too low 21 JobWP – Job Board Plugin for WordPress | Job Listings, Career Page & Applications 1K+ · 5.0★ (20) wp.org #23 ↑1 2 too low 22 UiPress lite | Effortless custom dashboards, admin themes and pages 6K+ · 4.1★ (21) wp.org #19 ↓1 3 too high 23 Email Marketing by EmailOctopus 4K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #20 3 too high 24 Simple Countdown Timer – Sales, Launch and Event Countdowns 1K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #24

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.