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

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

MB Elementor Integration shows at wp.org #8 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 2K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.7★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

HivePress – Business Directory, Listings & Classified Ads Plugin places #7 on merit, 4.9★ from 221 reviews, but shows at wp.org #16. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Motors – Car Dealership & Classified Listings Plugin 9K+ · 4.5★ (79) wp.org #1 2 Meta Box – A Framework for Dynamic Websites 500K+ · 4.8★ (165) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 Slim SEO – AI SEO Plugin, Lightweight, Fast & Automated 70K+ · 4.7★ (136) wp.org #4 ↑1 1 too low 4 Auto Listings – Car Listings & Car Dealership Plugin for WordPress 2K+ · 4.3★ (31) wp.org #2 2 too high 5 Cost Calculator Builder 20K+ · 4.5★ (393) wp.org #10 ↑4 5 too low 6 WP Directory Kit 2K+ · 4.9★ (35) wp.org #5 ↓1 1 too high 7 HivePress – Business Directory, Listings & Classified Ads Plugin 10K+ · 4.9★ (221) wp.org #16 ↑1 9 too low 8 MB Custom Post Types & Custom Taxonomies 10K+ · 4.7★ (13) wp.org #6 2 too high 9 Classified Listing – AI-Powered Classified ads & Business Directory 9K+ · 4.8★ (138) wp.org #13 ↓1 4 too low 10 Run Contests, Raffles, and Giveaways with ContestsWP 100+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #7 ↑6 3 too high 11 Sina Extension for Elementor 40K+ · 4.9★ (35) wp.org #12 ↓2 1 too low 12 WP Maps – Google Maps, OpenStreetMap, Mapbox, Store Locator with Search, Filters & Listings 60K+ · 4.3★ (122) wp.org #15 3 too low 13 WPBot – AI ChatBot for Live Support, Lead Generation, WordPress Automation, AI Services 5K+ · 4.7★ (124) wp.org #20 ↓2 7 too low 14 Admin Taxonomy Filter 5K+ · 4.5★ (14) wp.org #14 ↓3 15 Falcon – Cache, Performance, Security, Cleanup, and Tweaks 2K+ · 5.0★ (10) wp.org #11 ↓2 4 too high 16 Calculator Builder – Create an Online Calculator 1K+ · 4.7★ (18) wp.org #22 ↓1 6 too low 17 Inventory Presser – Car Dealer Listings 200+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #9 ↓1 8 too high 18 MB Elementor Integration 2K+ · 3.7★ (3) wp.org #8 ↓1 10 too high 19 MB Relationships 1K+ · 4.6★ (5) wp.org #17 ↓1 2 too high 20 Ad Integration for mobile.de API 40+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #24 ↓1 4 too low 21 Financial Calculator 400+ · 3.8★ (4) wp.org #18 3 too high 22 CarDealerPress 30+ · 4.2★ (5) wp.org #21 ↓1 1 too high 23 EuroStocks 30+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #19 4 too high 24 MB Rest API 1K+ · 0.0★ (0) 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.