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← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “data mining”

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 “data mining”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 of the top 20. 1 plugin is 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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.

Ranked above its merit

Search Appearance Toolkit (SEO 44) shows at wp.org #8 but places #14 on merit, a gap of 6 places. Its — 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

GoUrl Bitcoin Payment Gateway & Paid Downloads & Membership places #4 on merit, 4.0★ from 76 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 AI Content Signals 800+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #1 2 Crypto Converter ⚡ Widget 1K+ · 4.6★ (24) wp.org #17 ↓1 15 too low 3 ELOQIO AI Content Reservation — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #2 ↑1 1 too high 4 GoUrl Bitcoin Payment Gateway & Paid Downloads & Membership 600+ · 4.0★ (76) wp.org #20 16 too low 5 TDMRep: TDM Reservation Protocol 40+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #3 ↓1 2 too high 6 MarketBasketAnalysis for WooCommerce — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #4 2 too high 7 Cardea – Proof-of-Work Comment Spam Protection — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #5 2 too high 8 MRN Gold & Currency Pricing for WooCommerce — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #6 2 too high 9 DaazMarkets — Global Market Prices 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #7 ↓1 2 too high 10 Crypto Price Widgets – Live Cryptocurrency Prices by CoinLore — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #9 ↓1 1 too high 11 W WPFrank Companion 1K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #15 ↓1 4 too low 12 Shortcode Arcade Crypto Idle Game — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #10 ↓1 2 too high 13 Bitcoin, Ethereum and ERC20 crypto wallets with exchange 70+ · 3.6★ (7) wp.org #21 8 too low 14 Search Appearance Toolkit (SEO 44) — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #8 ↓1 6 too high 15 Redactis — AI Content Generator & SEO Writer — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #11 ↓1 4 too high 16 Agentimus – AI SEO, llms.txt & MCP for AI Agents 10+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #18 ↓1 2 too low 17 Livada SEO Lite — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #12 5 too high 18 StoreSage – AI Chatbot for WooCommerce, Product Recommendations & FAQ — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #13 ↓2 5 too high 19 Open for Agents: AI Toolkit with MCP — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #14 ↓1 5 too high 20 Cointacted – Social Terminal — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #16 ↓1 4 too high 21 Free Order Export for WooCommerce – Orders to CSV — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #19 2 too high 22 ATV Web Security — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 ↓4 23 Flying Pigs Uploader — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #24 ↓1 1 too low 24 PubPla AI Help Center — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #23 ↓1 1 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.