wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “discography”
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 “discography”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 5 of the top 17. 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
Music Smartlink Maker & Concerts shows at wp.org #3 but places #17 on merit, a gap of 14 places. Its 50+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Music Player for Elementor – Audio Player & Podcast Player 10K+ · 4.7★ (123)
wp.org #2 1 too low 2 
Musician’s Pack for Elementor – Music Website Widgets & Templates 400+ · 4.3★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #1 1 too high 3 
TechGasp Music Master 500+ · 2.8★ (25) closure risk
wp.org #11 ↓1 8 too low 4 
Blocks for Bandcamp 300+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviewslow rating, top placement
wp.org #4 5 
Acidboxblues Visual Grid for Bandcamp 10+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews
wp.org #6 1 too low 6 B Beatport Discography shortcode 80+ · 4.7★ (3) closure risk thin reviews
wp.org #14 ↓1 8 too low 7 
Tarvetus Discograph — · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews
wp.org #7 8 M Musopress Discography 90+ · 4.6★ (5) closure risk thin reviews
wp.org #16 ↓1 8 too low 9 
Setlist 10+ · 0.0★ (0) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviewslow rating, top placement
wp.org #5 4 too high 10 
Labelfront — · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews
wp.org #8 ↓1 2 too high 11 
User Collections for WooCommerce — · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews
wp.org #9 ↓1 2 too high 12 
On Record Credits — · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews
wp.org #10 ↓1 2 too high 13 
BLR Backline — · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews
wp.org #12 ↓1 1 too high 14 S Simple Discography 70+ · 4.0★ (3) throws errorsnot PHP-currentclosure risk thin reviews
wp.org #13 ↓1 1 too high 15 D Discography 20+ · 0.0★ (0) throws errorsnot PHP-currentclosure risk thin reviews
wp.org #17 ↓1 2 too low 16 A Artistography 10+ · 3.5★ (2) throws errorsnot PHP-currentclosure risk thin reviews
wp.org #15 ↓1 1 too high 17 Music Smartlink Maker & Concerts 50+ · 3.0★ (1) thin reviewslow rating, top placement
wp.org #3 14 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.