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

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

Addonify – Quick View For WooCommerce shows at wp.org #5 but places #16 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 2K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

LearnPress – WordPress LMS Plugin for Create and Sell Online Courses places #11 on merit, 4.3★ from 597 reviews, but shows at wp.org #20. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Database Cleaner: Cleanup, Optimization & Repair 10K+ · 5.0★ (150) wp.org #1 2 WP Telegram (Auto Post and Notifications) 30K+ · 5.0★ (426) wp.org #7 5 too low 3 AudioIgniter Music Player 10K+ · 4.6★ (64) wp.org #4 1 too low 4 Backend Payments for WooCommerce 800+ · 4.7★ (12) wp.org #2 2 too high 5 ATUM WooCommerce Inventory Management and Stock Tracking 10K+ · 4.7★ (128) wp.org #6 ↓1 1 too low 6 Disable Everything 30K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #3 3 too high 7 Disqus Conditional Load 3K+ · 4.5★ (64) wp.org #9 ↑1 2 too low 8 WP Telegram Widget and Join Link 4K+ · 4.9★ (31) wp.org #8 9 SureForms – Contact Form Builder, AI Forms, Payment Form, Survey & Quiz 500K+ · 4.8★ (102) wp.org #12 ↓3 3 too low 10 GutenBee – Gutenberg Blocks 6K+ · 4.9★ (18) wp.org #11 ↑2 1 too low 11 LearnPress – WordPress LMS Plugin for Create and Sell Online Courses 70K+ · 4.3★ (597) wp.org #20 ↓2 9 too low 12 Disqus Comment System 30K+ · 2.7★ (219) wp.org #13 ↑6 1 too low 13 B BuddyPress Xprofile Custom Field Types 3K+ · 4.9★ (16) wp.org #17 ↓2 4 too low 14 PressForward 100+ · 4.6★ (11) wp.org #10 ↑1 4 too high 15 LexonRank: AI Link Building, Free Backlinks, GEO & SEO Automation 800+ · 4.1★ (31) wp.org #21 6 too low 16 Addonify – Quick View For WooCommerce 2K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #5 ↑1 11 too high 17 Call for Price for WooCommerce 8K+ · 3.9★ (27) wp.org #19 ↑3 2 too low 18 Oracle Cards Lite – Interactive Card Deck Plugin for WordPress 300+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #23 5 too low 19 g-FFL Cockpit 500+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #14 5 too high 20 Simple SEO Improvements 300+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #24 4 too low 21 Dessky Snippets 400+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #16 5 too high 22 WPGraphQL for ACF 10K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #15 ↓3 7 too high 23 Stitch Express 600+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #18 ↓1 5 too high 24 Atlas Discuss Quote Form Demo 10+ · 3.0★ (2) wp.org #22 ↓2 2 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.