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

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 “deutsch”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 6 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

Expire User Passwords shows at wp.org #10 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 3K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.2★ average from 5 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Product Table for WooCommerce places #10 on merit, 4.8★ from 295 reviews, but shows at wp.org #21. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Germanized for WooCommerce 70K+ · 4.8★ (496) wp.org #1 2 Table Field Add-on for ACF and SCF 50K+ · 4.9★ (60) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 Language Fallback 5K+ · 4.8★ (23) wp.org #2 1 too high 4 OSM – OpenStreetMap 10K+ · 4.6★ (137) wp.org #5 ↑1 1 too low 5 U Unique Headers 10K+ · 4.9★ (160) wp.org #4 1 too high 6 SportsPress – Sports Club & League Manager 10K+ · 4.7★ (369) wp.org #7 ↓2 1 too low 7 Gallery Lightbox 10K+ · 4.7★ (106) wp.org #9 ↑1 2 too low 8 WP Approve User 3K+ · 4.2★ (42) wp.org #6 ↑3 2 too high 9 Accessibility Widget by OneTap – Easy One-Click Accessibility Toolbar 60K+ · 4.9★ (80) wp.org #11 ↓3 2 too low 10 Product Table for WooCommerce 5K+ · 4.8★ (295) wp.org #21 ↓2 11 too low 11 Product Bundle Builder for WooCommerce 6K+ · 4.8★ (61) wp.org #16 ↓2 5 too low 12 Send Emails with Mandrill 6K+ · 5.0★ (11) wp.org #13 ↑5 1 too low 13 Archivarix External Images Importer 1K+ · 5.0★ (9) wp.org #12 ↓1 1 too high 14 Protect the Children! 1K+ · 4.9★ (15) wp.org #17 ↑4 3 too low 15 Floating Contact Button 1K+ · 4.6★ (8) wp.org #8 ↓1 7 too high 16 Widget Visibility Time Scheduler 1K+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #15 ↓2 1 too high 17 Simple Event Planner 1K+ · 4.3★ (23) wp.org #24 ↓4 7 too low 18 W WP Search Suggest 400+ · 4.6★ (11) wp.org #19 ↓4 1 too low 19 affiliate-toolkit – Multi-Network Affiliate & Amazon Product Display 2K+ · 4.5★ (22) wp.org #18 1 too high 20 Expire User Passwords 3K+ · 4.2★ (5) wp.org #10 ↑6 10 too high 21 iCalendrier 700+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #14 ↓2 7 too high 22 Image Slider 4K+ · 3.4★ (31) wp.org #23 ↓1 1 too low 23 PrivacyBee – Datenschutz im Autopilot 800+ · 4.2★ (5) wp.org #22 ↑2 1 too high 24 Appointmind 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #20 ↓3 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.