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

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 “department”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 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

Product Category Showcase for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #11 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 1K+ 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

Business Directory Plugin – Easy Listing & Member Directories for WordPress places #6 on merit, 4.6★ from 504 reviews, but shows at wp.org #15. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Team – Team Members Showcase Plugin 10K+ · 4.5★ (67) wp.org #1 2 Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (588) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 Einsatzverwaltung 1K+ · 4.9★ (17) wp.org #2 1 too high 4 MapGeo – Interactive Geo Maps 30K+ · 4.4★ (65) wp.org #6 2 too low 5 Edit Flow 4K+ · 4.2★ (50) wp.org #5 6 Business Directory Plugin – Easy Listing & Member Directories for WordPress 10K+ · 4.6★ (504) wp.org #15 9 too low 7 Awesome Support – WordPress HelpDesk & Support Plugin 6K+ · 3.5★ (194) wp.org #7 8 Responsive Team Members Showcase, Team Grid, Team Slider, and Staff List – Smart Team (formerly WP Team) 5K+ · 4.7★ (92) wp.org #12 ↑1 4 too low 9 Location Pack for WooCommerce 800+ · 5.0★ (11) wp.org #4 5 too high 10 JS Help Desk – AI-Powered Support & Ticketing System 7K+ · 3.7★ (74) wp.org #9 1 too high 11 Media Library Organizer – Folders, File Manager & Media Categories 20K+ · 4.7★ (150) wp.org #14 3 too low 12 Contact Form by BestWebSoft – Advanced WP Contact Form Builder for WordPress 30K+ · 4.0★ (292) wp.org #17 5 too low 13 Tidio – Live Chat & AI Chatbots 70K+ · 4.8★ (395) wp.org #22 9 too low 14 Simple Org Chart 900+ · 4.8★ (22) wp.org #8 6 too high 15 Ubigeo de Perú para Woocommerce y WordPress 4K+ · 4.3★ (24) wp.org #13 ↓1 2 too high 16 OneClick Chat to Order 30K+ · 4.8★ (84) wp.org #16 17 Testimonial – Testimonial Slider and Showcase Plugin 20K+ · 4.6★ (67) wp.org #24 7 too low 18 Majestic Support – The Leading-Edge Help Desk & Customer Support Plugin 3K+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #10 8 too high 19 Team Members Showcase 4K+ · 4.9★ (21) wp.org #21 2 too low 20 EventAdmin – Volunteer Management 50+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #18 ↑2 2 too high 21 Product Category Showcase for WooCommerce 1K+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #11 10 too high 22 All in One Time Clock Lite – Tracking Employee Time Has Never Been Easier 500+ · 4.6★ (8) wp.org #23 ↓4 1 too low 23 Kanbanz 2K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #19 4 too high 24 GovernDocs Document Management – Agenda, Minutes, Meetings, Reports & more 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #20 ↓2 4 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.