Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

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

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 “distribute”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 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

Chainwire Integration shows at wp.org #10 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 200+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Seriously Simple Podcasting places #12 on merit, 4.7★ from 330 reviews, but shows at wp.org #22. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 All-in-One WP Migration and Backup 5M+ · 4.5★ (7676) wp.org #1 2 ECS – Ele Custom Skin for Elementor 100K+ · 4.6★ (117) wp.org #2 3 PrettyLinks – Affiliate Link Management, URL Shortener, Link Cloaking, Tracking & Branded Short Links 200K+ · 4.8★ (1322) wp.org #4 ↓1 1 too low 4 Chatway Live Chat – AI Chatbot, Customer Support, FAQ & Helpdesk Customer Service & Chat Buttons 30K+ · 5.0★ (775) wp.org #12 ↓1 8 too low 5 Robo Gallery – Photo & Image Slider 40K+ · 4.3★ (406) wp.org #14 ↓1 9 too low 6 U Upload Larger Plugins 6K+ · 5.0★ (20) wp.org #7 1 too low 7 WebSub (FKA. PubSubHubbub) 100K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #3 ↑1 4 too high 8 StoryChief 1K+ · 4.7★ (14) wp.org #6 2 too high 9 Disable XML-RPC-API 100K+ · 4.2★ (43) wp.org #9 10 Email Marketing Plugin – WP Email Capture 1K+ · 4.3★ (19) wp.org #5 5 too high 11 Smart Coupons For WooCommerce Coupons 30K+ · 4.7★ (133) wp.org #18 ↑3 7 too low 12 Seriously Simple Podcasting 20K+ · 4.7★ (330) wp.org #22 ↓3 10 too low 13 U Use Administrator Password 800+ · 5.0★ (9) wp.org #13 ↑1 14 WP Crowdfunding 2K+ · 4.4★ (89) wp.org #21 ↓3 7 too low 15 Animated Floating Chat Button 4K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #11 ↑1 4 too high 16 Ultimate Markdown – Markdown Editor, Importer, & Exporter 2K+ · 4.0★ (10) wp.org #15 1 too high 17 Conference Scheduler 200+ · 4.2★ (5) wp.org #17 ↑5 18 Secure Downloads 600+ · 4.1★ (10) wp.org #24 ↓1 6 too low 19 N No Weak Passwords 400+ · 4.0★ (4) wp.org #16 ↑4 3 too high 20 SmartFormat feed for SmartNews 1K+ · 4.0★ (1) wp.org #8 12 too high 21 CDEKDelivery 3K+ · 2.8★ (13) wp.org #19 ↓3 2 too high 22 A Add Email Signature 200+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #20 ↓3 2 too high 23 Chainwire Integration 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #10 13 too high 24 Trustami Badge for Customer Reviews and Google Stars 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #23 ↑1 1 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.