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← Rankings

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

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 “dependent”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 of the top 20. 6 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

QR Code Creator shows at wp.org #6 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 1K+ 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

Formidable Forms – Contact Form, Survey, Quiz, Payment, Calculator Form & Custom Form Builder places #8 on merit, 4.8★ from 1387 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 wp.org
1 Query Monitor 200K+ · 4.9★ (470) wp.org #4 3 too low 2 Geolocation IP Detection 20K+ · 4.7★ (59) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 Advanced Import 80K+ · 4.4★ (7) wp.org #2 1 too high 4 Product page shipping calculator for WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.9★ (77) wp.org #8 ↑1 4 too low 5 Weight Based Shipping Table Rate for WooCommerce – Flexible Shipping 100K+ · 4.9★ (706) wp.org #15 ↓1 10 too low 6 Seraphinite Accelerator 50K+ · 4.8★ (476) wp.org #11 ↑1 5 too low 7 Optimization Detective 60K+ · 4.3★ (3) wp.org #1 6 too high 8 Formidable Forms – Contact Form, Survey, Quiz, Payment, Calculator Form & Custom Form Builder 300K+ · 4.8★ (1387) wp.org #19 ↑1 11 too low 9 Simple Product Options for WooCommerce 3K+ · 4.7★ (35) wp.org #7 ↑1 2 too high 10 Download Plugin 60K+ · 4.5★ (27) wp.org #12 ↑1 2 too low 11 WP Calorie Calculator 900+ · 4.7★ (12) wp.org #9 ↑1 2 too high 12 Chained Quiz 1K+ · 4.9★ (38) wp.org #20 ↑1 8 too low 13 Advanced Datepicker – Restricts Date for Contact Form 7 500+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #5 8 too high 14 Product Category Dropdowns 800+ · 4.7★ (12) wp.org #21 ↓2 7 too low 15 Index WP Users For Speed 1K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #13 ↓6 2 too high 16 Widget Visibility Time Scheduler 1K+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #24 8 too low 17 CubeWP Framework 3K+ · 4.8★ (12) wp.org #23 6 too low 18 MyWP Block Pattern – Block Pattern Builder for WordPress 300+ · 4.8★ (5) wp.org #17 1 too high 19 QR Code Creator 1K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #6 13 too high 20 Advanced Datepicker – Restrict Date for Elementor Forms 900+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #18 2 too high 21 Advanced Datepicker – Restricts Date for WPForms 300+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #16 5 too high 22 CIELO API PIX, credit card, debit payment for WooCommerce 600+ · 4.2★ (5) wp.org #22 23 Dependent Media Live Rates for USPS 80+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #10 ↑1 13 too high 24 WPC Product Image Swap for WooCommerce 900+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #14 ↑1 10 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.