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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “divided menu”

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 “divided menu”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 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

Simple Mortgage Calculator shows at wp.org #6 but places #16 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 1K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 4 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

RegistrationMagic – Custom Registration Forms, User Registration, Payment, and User Login places #5 on merit, 4.5★ from 459 reviews, but shows at wp.org #10. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2051) wp.org #1 2 Qi Addons For Elementor 200K+ · 4.8★ (205) wp.org #2 ↑1 3 GTM4WP – A Google Tag Manager (GTM) plugin for WordPress 700K+ · 4.5★ (155) wp.org #3 ↓1 4 10Web Booster – Website speed optimization, Cache & Page Speed optimizer 60K+ · 4.6★ (405) wp.org #8 ↑2 4 too low 5 RegistrationMagic – Custom Registration Forms, User Registration, Payment, and User Login 7K+ · 4.5★ (459) wp.org #10 ↓1 5 too low 6 Greenshift – animation and page builder blocks 70K+ · 4.8★ (107) wp.org #7 ↓2 1 too low 7 Mortgage Calculator 4K+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #4 3 too high 8 Video Gallery – YouTube Gallery, Vimeo, Video Portfolio, Image Portfolio and Image Gallery 10K+ · 4.8★ (182) wp.org #9 ↓2 1 too low 9 MasterStudy LMS WordPress Plugin – for Online Courses and Education 10K+ · 4.5★ (487) wp.org #14 5 too low 10 eCommerce Product Catalog 7K+ · 4.7★ (270) wp.org #15 ↓9 5 too low 11 ProfileGrid – User Profiles, Groups and Communities 5K+ · 4.6★ (236) wp.org #12 1 too low 12 Qi Blocks 60K+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #5 ↓1 7 too high 13 Location Weather – WordPress Weather Forecast, Air Quality & Weather Widget 10K+ · 4.5★ (103) wp.org #22 ↓3 9 too low 14 WP Hide & Security Enhancer 50K+ · 4.3★ (275) wp.org #17 3 too low 15 jQuery Post Splitter 100+ · 4.6★ (37) wp.org #18 3 too low 16 Simple Mortgage Calculator 1K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #6 10 too high 17 Employee, Leave and Recruitment Management System – Crew HRM 100+ · 5.0★ (9) wp.org #23 ↓5 6 too low 18 Next-Cart Store to WooCommerce Migration 100+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #21 ↓6 3 too low 19 Cryptex | E-Mail Address Protection 800+ · 4.0★ (4) wp.org #13 ↓2 6 too high 20 OpenAgenda 400+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #19 ↓3 1 too high 21 In3 On-site Messaging plug-in for WooCommerce 200+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #11 ↓3 10 too high 22 Ultimate Bootstrap Elements for Elementor 6K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #16 ↓3 6 too high 23 Instant Indexing & Check for Google and Bing SEO 400+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #24 ↓4 1 too low 24 Calculate BMR and BMI 200+ · 3.5★ (2) wp.org #20 4 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.