wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “deep learning”

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

BrightEdge Autopilot shows at wp.org #3 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 18 places. Its 500+ 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

Easy Accordion – AI-Powered FAQ & Accordion Blocks, Product FAQ places #10 on merit, 4.9★ from 358 reviews, but shows at wp.org #19. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) heavy footprint wp.org #1 2

WPCode – Insert Headers and Footers + Custom Code Snippets – WordPress Code Manager 3M+ · 4.9★ (1916) wp.org #2 3

Easy Digital Downloads – eCommerce Payments and Subscriptions made easy 40K+ · 4.7★ (591) wp.org #4 1 too low 4

LifterLMS – WP LMS for eLearning, Online Courses, & Quizzes 10K+ · 4.8★ (393) wp.org #5 1 too low 5

Simply Schedule Appointments 50K+ · 5.0★ (155) wp.org #6 1 too low 6

Echo Knowledge Base – Documentation, FAQs, Chat & Smart Search 10K+ · 4.9★ (124) wp.org #7 1 too low 7

Highcompress Image Compressor 600+ · 4.9★ (143) wp.org #9 2 too low 8

Better Messages – Chat Rooms, Group Chat, Private Messages & AI Chat Bots 10K+ · 4.8★ (142) wp.org #11 ↑3 3 too low 9

Popup Box – Create Countdown, Coupon, Video, Contact Form Popups 50K+ · 4.6★ (82) wp.org #12 3 too low 10

Easy Accordion – AI-Powered FAQ & Accordion Blocks, Product FAQ 70K+ · 4.9★ (358) wp.org #19 9 too low 11

Image Optimizer, Resizer and CDN – Sirv 900+ · 4.9★ (265) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #15 4 too low 12

SureCart – Ecommerce Made Easy For Selling Physical Products, Digital Downloads, Subscriptions, Donations, & Payments 80K+ · 4.8★ (289) heavy footprint wp.org #20 8 too low 13

SureRank SEO – Meta Tags, Social Preview, XML Sitemap, Schema & Open Graph 300K+ · 4.8★ (51) wp.org #16 3 too low 14

aBlocks – Gutenberg Blocks, User Dashboard Builder, Popup Builder, Form Builder & Animation Builder 2K+ · 5.0★ (26) heavy footprint wp.org #13 ↓2 1 too high 15

Email Marketing for WordPress and WooCommerce – Retainful 600+ · 5.0★ (38) wp.org #17 ↑1 2 too low 16

Location Weather – WordPress Weather Forecast, Air Quality & Weather Widget 10K+ · 4.5★ (103) wp.org #24 8 too low 17

AntiSpam for Contact Form 7 10K+ · 4.2★ (13) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #8 9 too high 18

Rapls AI Chatbot – Self-Hosted RAG & MCP Server 80+ · 4.9★ (9) thin reviews wp.org #14 ↓1 4 too high 19

Globe Visitors Counter 70+ · 5.0★ (12) thin reviews wp.org #23 4 too low 20

Thim Kit for Elementor – Pre-built Templates & Widgets for Elementor 20K+ · 4.2★ (5) thin reviews wp.org #10 10 too high 21

BrightEdge Autopilot 500+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews wp.org #3 18 too high 22

PressPrimer Quiz – AI Quiz Maker, Exam Builder & LMS Assessment Plugin 200+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews wp.org #22 23

Pic Tag 30+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews wp.org #18 ↓1 5 too high 24

JS Crop 30+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews wp.org #21 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.