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

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 “dictation”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 2 of the top 20. 1 plugin is 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

Modern Hotel Booking — Direct Booking Engine, Availability Calendar & Vacation Rental PMS shows at wp.org #11 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 10+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Voice Audio Widgets – Voice recorder with Forms, AI Powered STT, TTS, Transcriptions, Language Teaching 300+ · 5.0★ (16) wp.org #2 ↓1 1 too low 2 WPBot – AI ChatBot for Live Support, Lead Generation, WordPress Automation, AI Services 5K+ · 4.7★ (124) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 Resolai – AI Chatbot for Customer Support 300+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #1 ↑1 2 too high 4 Speak Input – Voice Dictation for ACF — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #4 5 Partyline: Reader-Submitted Stories for Local News and Magazines 40+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #5 6 WP CV Builder 30+ · 4.0★ (3) wp.org #6 7 Vocalect Audio Input — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #9 2 too low 8 Chiaro – AI Sales Analytics for WooCommerce — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #7 1 too high 9 Delo Voice Record — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #10 1 too low 10 zimpliScribe — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #8 2 too high 11 KennelFlow Vet — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #12 ↓1 1 too low 12 Kinedio Personal Shopper for WooCommerce — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #13 ↓1 1 too low 13 CatCode Accounting Export with DATEV for WooCommerce — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #14 ↓1 1 too low 14 Bombyx Website Assistant — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #15 ↓1 1 too low 15 ASB Smart Flow — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #16 ↓1 1 too low 16 VISITLEAD Live Chat and Realtime Monitoring 10+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #23 ↓1 7 too low 17 Dictate Button — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 ↓1 18 KOTOTSUGI — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #18 ↓1 19 AskParla AI Shopping Assistant for WooCommerce — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 ↓1 1 too low 20 Modern Hotel Booking — Direct Booking Engine, Availability Calendar & Vacation Rental PMS 10+ · 4.0★ (2) wp.org #11 9 too high 21 Chrissy — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 ↓1 1 too low 22 Dhruval Admin Command Palette — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #19 ↓1 3 too high 23 Latest Posts with Restful API 20+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #21 ↓1 2 too high 24 D Dictation (Speech Recognition) 10+ · 3.0★ (2) wp.org #24 ↓1

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.