Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “do shortcode”

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 “do shortcode”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 of the top 20. 1 plugin is 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

Shortcode Preview Block shows at wp.org #7 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 17 places. Its 900+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.7★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin places #10 on merit, 4.9★ from 1281 reviews, but shows at wp.org #24. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Shortcode Redirect 10K+ · 4.3★ (31) wp.org #1 2 Shortcodes Ultimate – Content Elements 400K+ · 4.9★ (5925) wp.org #2 ↑2 3 WP Date and Time Shortcode 10K+ · 4.9★ (31) wp.org #3 ↓1 4 The Events Calendar Shortcode & Block 10K+ · 4.7★ (101) wp.org #5 1 too low 5 Shortcode for Current Date 10K+ · 5.0★ (116) wp.org #6 ↑1 1 too low 6 Snippet Shortcodes 3K+ · 4.7★ (25) wp.org #4 ↓1 2 too high 7 The Post Grid – Shortcode, Gutenberg Blocks and Elementor Addon for Post Grid 100K+ · 4.8★ (265) wp.org #16 ↑2 9 too low 8 Translate WordPress with GTranslate 900K+ · 4.9★ (4962) wp.org #21 13 too low 9 Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) wp.org #18 ↑4 9 too low 10 Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1281) wp.org #24 14 too low 11 Code Snippets 1M+ · 4.7★ (510) wp.org #13 2 too low 12 Easy Bootstrap Shortcode 6K+ · 4.0★ (50) wp.org #20 ↓14 8 too low 13 Nested Shortcodes 1K+ · 4.8★ (14) wp.org #15 ↑2 2 too low 14 Arconix Shortcodes 3K+ · 4.6★ (24) wp.org #22 ↑1 8 too low 15 MachForm Shortcode 300+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #8 7 too high 16 S Surbma | Yoast SEO Breadcrumb Shortcode 3K+ · 4.2★ (9) wp.org #11 5 too high 17 Blocks to Shortcode – Use blocks everywhere: in page templates, Elementor, etc. 600+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #12 ↑1 5 too high 18 Current Year Shortcode VICT 800+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #9 9 too high 19 P Posts To-Do List 50+ · 4.7★ (7) wp.org #17 ↓3 2 too high 20 Affiliate Amazon Shortcode 300+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #10 ↑2 10 too high 21 Do Shortcodes for Rank Math SEO 1K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #19 ↓3 2 too high 22 Five-Star Ratings Shortcode 500+ · 4.2★ (5) wp.org #14 ↑1 8 too high 23 Display During Conditional Shortcode 200+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #23 24 Shortcode Preview Block 900+ · 3.7★ (3) wp.org #7 17 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.