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← Rankings

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

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 source”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 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

Add as Preferred Source on Google shows at wp.org #4 but places #16 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 800+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 5 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin places #11 on merit, 4.8★ from 8706 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 wpDataTables – WordPress Data Table, Dynamic Tables & Table Charts Plugin 60K+ · 4.5★ (449) wp.org #3 2 too low 2 WooCommerce 7M+ · 4.5★ (4833) wp.org #2 3 Data Source for Contact Form 7 300+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #1 2 too high 4 Data Tables Generator by Supsystic – Excel-like, WooCommerce & Pricing Tables 10K+ · 4.7★ (497) wp.org #6 2 too low 5 Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI 10M+ · 4.8★ (27821) wp.org #8 3 too low 6 Image Source Control Lite – Show Image Credits and Captions 3K+ · 4.6★ (42) wp.org #5 1 too high 7 Ninja Tables – Easy Data Table Builder 70K+ · 4.6★ (472) wp.org #10 3 too low 8 Widgets for Google Reviews 1M+ · 4.9★ (2667) wp.org #11 3 too low 9 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) wp.org #9 10 Seraphinite Post .DOCX Source 800+ · 4.6★ (45) wp.org #7 3 too high 11 UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8706) wp.org #20 ↓4 9 too low 12 Site Kit by Google – Analytics, Search Console, AdSense, Speed 5M+ · 4.2★ (1012) wp.org #12 13 Chatway Live Chat – AI Chatbot, Customer Support, FAQ & Helpdesk Customer Service & Chat Buttons 30K+ · 5.0★ (775) wp.org #23 ↓4 10 too low 14 Burst Statistics – Simple WordPress Analytics (Google Analytics Alternative) 200K+ · 4.9★ (186) wp.org #17 ↑3 3 too low 15 WP Statistics – Simple, privacy-friendly Google Analytics alternative 500K+ · 4.1★ (759) wp.org #16 ↓1 1 too low 16 Add as Preferred Source on Google 800+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #4 12 too high 17 Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5038) wp.org #22 5 too low 18 FlexTable – Data Table Sync with Google Sheets 3K+ · 4.6★ (35) wp.org #18 ↑3 19 Simple Export Import for ACF Data 1K+ · 3.4★ (16) wp.org #19 ↓2 20 TableKit – WordPress Table Builder for Data Tables, WooCommerce Product Tables & Post Tables 3K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #24 ↓1 4 too low 21 WP Data Sync 100+ · 3.8★ (5) wp.org #14 ↓1 7 too high 22 Source Medium Tracker for Contact Form 7 200+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #15 ↓1 7 too high 23 Open Source Event Calendar 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #13 ↓2 10 too high 24 Source Lens – Code Finder 300+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #21 ↓3 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.