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

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 “david”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 of the top 20.

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.

A

Ranked above its merit

Add Email Signature shows at wp.org #14 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 200+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Easy Updates Manager places #10 on merit, 4.8★ from 726 reviews, but shows at wp.org #18. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8708) wp.org #1 2 WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More 5M+ · 4.8★ (14387) wp.org #2 3 WPCode – Insert Headers and Footers + Custom Code Snippets – WordPress Code Manager 3M+ · 4.9★ (1917) wp.org #3 4 All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720) wp.org #4 5 WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance 1M+ · 4.8★ (2617) wp.org #7 2 too low 6 Beaver Builder Page Builder – Drag and Drop Website Builder 100K+ · 4.7★ (394) wp.org #8 ↑1 2 too low 7 Media Library Assistant 70K+ · 4.8★ (202) wp.org #10 ↑2 3 too low 8 Genesis eNews Extended 40K+ · 4.7★ (28) wp.org #6 2 too high 9 Plugin Groups 1K+ · 4.3★ (31) wp.org #5 4 too high 10 Easy Updates Manager 300K+ · 4.8★ (726) wp.org #18 8 too low 11 Connect Polylang for Elementor 100K+ · 4.8★ (51) wp.org #11 ↓1 12 Zero Spam for WordPress 20K+ · 4.1★ (143) wp.org #13 ↑1 1 too low 13 U Upload Larger Plugins 6K+ · 5.0★ (20) wp.org #9 ↓1 4 too high 14 Internal Link Juicer: SEO Auto Linker for WordPress 100K+ · 4.7★ (537) wp.org #24 ↓1 10 too low 15 Redux Framework 900K+ · 4.4★ (273) wp.org #19 ↓4 4 too low 16 Ultimate Dashboard – Custom WordPress Dashboard 50K+ · 4.6★ (114) wp.org #23 ↓1 7 too low 17 Simple Sitemap – Responsive HTML Sitemap for WordPress 60K+ · 3.9★ (72) wp.org #20 3 too low 18 U Use Administrator Password 800+ · 5.0★ (9) wp.org #12 ↓1 6 too high 19 Show Me The Cookies 400+ · 4.8★ (4) wp.org #16 ↑1 3 too high 20 Membership & User Roles for WooCommerce (Automatic Role Changer) 400+ · 4.3★ (6) wp.org #22 ↑2 2 too low 21 N No Weak Passwords 300+ · 4.0★ (4) wp.org #15 ↑1 6 too high 22 A Add Email Signature 200+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #14 ↓1 8 too high 23 Envo Extra 20K+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 2 too high 24 Mosaic Gallery – Advanced Gallery 3K+ · 4.0★ (2) wp.org #17 ↑2 7 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.