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

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 “disqus”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 of the top 20. 2 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

pipDisqus – Lightweight Disqus Comments shows at wp.org #5 but places #15 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 200+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.5★ average from 6 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

WPZOOM Connect: Social Icons Widget & Block, Share Buttons & Click to Chat places #10 on merit, 4.9★ from 144 reviews, but shows at wp.org #19. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

Disqus Comment System 30K+ · 2.7★ (219) low rating, top placement wp.org #1 2

Disqus Conditional Load 3K+ · 4.5★ (64) wp.org #2 3

Comments – wpDiscuz 60K+ · 4.7★ (581) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #3 4

Nextend Social Login and Register 200K+ · 4.9★ (446) wp.org #7 2 too low 6

Genial Comments 4K+ · 4.8★ (20) thin reviews wp.org #6 7

AMP for WP – Accelerated Mobile Pages 70K+ · 4.4★ (1319) heavy footprint wp.org #15 ↑1 8 too low 8

iubenda | All-in-one Compliance for GDPR / CCPA Cookie Consent + more 200K+ · 4.7★ (397) wp.org #16 ↑2 8 too low 9

Social Login, Social Sharing by miniOrange 10K+ · 4.6★ (356) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #11 ↑1 2 too low 10

WPZOOM Connect: Social Icons Widget & Block, Share Buttons & Click to Chat 90K+ · 4.9★ (144) wp.org #19 9 too low 11

Kama SpamBlock 4K+ · 5.0★ (17) thin reviews wp.org #9 ↑1 2 too high 12

Comments – GraphComment | AI-Moderated Comment System 400+ · 4.7★ (30) wp.org #14 ↑1 2 too low 13

Themify Builder 6K+ · 3.9★ (24) heavy footprint thin reviews wp.org #8 5 too high 14

pipDisqus – Lightweight Disqus Comments 200+ · 4.5★ (6) thin reviews wp.org #5 10 too high 16

Anti-spam Reloaded 1K+ · 5.0★ (14) thin reviews wp.org #12 ↑2 4 too high 17

Social Comments by Heateor 600+ · 4.7★ (23) thin reviews wp.org #21 4 too low 18

WP Discourse 1K+ · 4.5★ (8) thin reviews wp.org #13 5 too high 19

ReplyBox – Better WordPress Comments 60+ · 4.8★ (6) thin reviews wp.org #22 ↑1 3 too low 20

Comments by FastComments – Live, Privacy-First Comment System 30+ · 5.0★ (5) thin reviews wp.org #20 ↑2 21

Hyvor Talk – Comments, Newsletters, Memberships 90+ · 5.0★ (5) not PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #17 4 too high 22

Socicon 200+ · 4.0★ (4) thin reviews wp.org #18 ↑2 4 too high 23

Cookies, Terms & Conditions Consent Log 100+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews wp.org #23 ↑1 24

eCommerce Comments and Ratings 10+ · 4.0★ (4) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #24

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.