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

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 “direction”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 of the top 20. 5 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

Marquee Addons for Elementor – Essential Motion Widgets & Templates shows at wp.org #8 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 15 places. Its 20K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 6 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Premium Addons for Elementor – AI-Ready Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates places #11 on merit, 4.9★ from 1680 reviews, but shows at wp.org #24. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 WP Go Maps – Google Map, OpenStreetMap, Leaflet Map 300K+ · 4.8★ (3055) wp.org #2 1 too low 2 Email Encoder – Protect Email Addresses and Phone Numbers 90K+ · 4.9★ (94) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 پارسی دیت – Parsi Date 100K+ · 4.6★ (130) wp.org #4 ↑2 1 too low 4 Easy Google Maps by Supsystic – Custom Markers, Clustering & Map Themes 20K+ · 4.6★ (251) wp.org #5 1 too low 5 Presswell Art Direction 80+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #1 4 too high 6 MapPress – Google Maps, OpenStreetMap & Leaflet 30K+ · 4.7★ (147) wp.org #11 ↓1 5 too low 7 WP Accessibility 60K+ · 4.8★ (68) wp.org #10 ↑10 3 too low 8 Recipe Card Blocks Lite 10K+ · 4.8★ (20) wp.org #7 ↓3 1 too high 9 Very Simple Google Maps 3K+ · 4.5★ (17) wp.org #6 ↓1 3 too high 10 WP Store Locator 40K+ · 4.8★ (312) wp.org #19 ↓4 9 too low 11 Premium Addons for Elementor – AI-Ready Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates 600K+ · 4.9★ (1680) wp.org #24 13 too low 12 Flexible Map 7K+ · 4.8★ (66) wp.org #14 ↓2 2 too low 13 Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (587) wp.org #23 ↓15 10 too low 14 Feeds for YouTube (YouTube video, channel, and gallery plugin) 100K+ · 4.8★ (205) wp.org #21 ↓4 7 too low 15 Twenty20 Image Before-After 20K+ · 4.0★ (54) wp.org #16 ↓3 1 too low 16 WP Responsive Menu 30K+ · 4.3★ (100) wp.org #22 ↓4 6 too low 17 Cooked – Recipe Management 3K+ · 3.9★ (90) wp.org #17 18 Animations for Blocks 10K+ · 4.8★ (27) wp.org #18 ↓2 19 WP Maps – Google Maps, OpenStreetMap, Mapbox, Store Locator with Search, Filters & Listings 60K+ · 4.3★ (122) wp.org #15 ↓1 4 too high 20 Mobile Call Now & Map Buttons 4K+ · 4.9★ (18) wp.org #12 ↑1 8 too high 21 Five Star Business Profile and Schema 7K+ · 4.8★ (52) wp.org #20 1 too high 22 VK Blocks 100K+ · 4.8★ (6) wp.org #9 ↓1 13 too high 23 Marquee Addons for Elementor – Essential Motion Widgets & Templates 20K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #8 ↑8 15 too high 24 LIQUID SPEECH BALLOON 10K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #13 ↓3 11 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.