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

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 “directorist”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 of the top 20. 3 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

Directorist – WPML Integration shows at wp.org #2 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 22 places. Its 400+ installs carry it up the search order; its 2.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Knit Pay – Cashfree, Instamojo, Razorpay, PayPal and more places #8 on merit, 4.9★ from 100 reviews, but shows at wp.org #16. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Directorist: AI-Powered Business Directory, Listings & Classified Ads 20K+ · 4.6★ (698) wp.org #1 2 GeoDirectory – WP Business Directory Plugin and Classified Listings Directory 10K+ · 4.8★ (716) wp.org #7 ↓1 5 too low 3 Invisible Anti-Spam & CAPTCHA — reCAPTCHA Alternative for All Forms 4K+ · 4.8★ (50) wp.org #5 2 too low 4 Noptin – Newsletter, New Post Notifications & Email Automation 10K+ · 4.5★ (120) wp.org #4 5 Better Messages – Chat Rooms, Group Chat, Private Messages & AI Chat Bots 10K+ · 4.8★ (142) wp.org #9 ↓2 4 too low 6 GamiPress – Gamification plugin to reward points, badges & ranks in WordPress, now with AI 10K+ · 4.9★ (493) wp.org #11 ↓1 5 too low 7 Product Carousel Slider & Grid Ultimate for WooCommerce 6K+ · 4.3★ (33) wp.org #8 ↑3 1 too low 8 Knit Pay – Cashfree, Instamojo, Razorpay, PayPal and more 2K+ · 4.9★ (100) wp.org #16 ↓1 8 too low 9 Logo Showcase Ultimate – Logo Carousel, Logo Slider & Logo Grid 2K+ · 4.7★ (27) wp.org #12 ↓3 3 too low 10 FormGent – Next-Gen AI Form Builder for WordPress with Multi-Step, Quizzes, Payments & More 1K+ · 4.4★ (7) wp.org #6 ↓1 4 too high 11 Login Me Now – Passwordless, Magic Link, OTP & Social Login for WordPress 600+ · 5.0★ (9) wp.org #10 ↓2 1 too high 12 Booktics – Appointment Booking Calendar for Service Businesses 800+ · 4.2★ (13) wp.org #13 ↓1 1 too low 13 Post Grid, Slider & Carousel Ultimate – with Shortcode, Gutenberg Block & Elementor Widget 1K+ · 4.5★ (8) wp.org #14 1 too low 14 HelpGent – Video Funnels and Conversational Forms for WordPress 100+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #17 ↓1 3 too low 15 NIBWP – Self-Hosted MCP Server – Connect Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor & Any AI Agent via MCP 300+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #19 4 too low 16 Directorist AddonsKit for Elementor 9K+ · 2.0★ (4) wp.org #3 13 too high 17 oneTap – Easy Google Sign In Prompt 80+ · 4.0★ (4) wp.org #24 7 too low 18 Listing Reviews for Directorist with Yelp — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #18 ↓1 19 All-in-One Content Restriction – Conditional Content Visibility & Access Control for WordPress 50+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #15 ↓2 4 too high 20 SFR Directory Map 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 21 SFR Directory Category Display 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 ↓1 1 too low 22 SFR Directory Analytics 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 ↓1 1 too low 23 Listdom Bridge Addon – Migrate Listings to Listdom 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 ↑2 2 too high 24 Directorist – WPML Integration 400+ · 2.0★ (1) wp.org #2 22 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.