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

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 “doughnut”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 15 of the top 20.

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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.

Ranked above its merit

Advanced Chart for Elementor shows at wp.org #5 but places #17 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 90+ 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

PowerPack Addons for Elementor: Widgets, Form Styler and Templates places #7 on merit, 4.8★ from 361 reviews, but shows at wp.org #17. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Premium Addons for Elementor – AI-Ready Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates 600K+ · 4.9★ (1680) wp.org #1 2 Royal Addons for Elementor – Addons and Templates Kit for Elementor 600K+ · 4.8★ (612) wp.org #2 3 wpDataTables – WordPress Data Table, Dynamic Tables & Table Charts Plugin 60K+ · 4.5★ (449) wp.org #6 ↓2 3 too low 4 M Chart 3K+ · 4.9★ (28) wp.org #4 ↓1 5 Extensive VC Addons for WPBakery Page Builder 4K+ · 4.7★ (14) wp.org #3 2 too high 6 HappyAddons for Elementor – 160 Elementor Widgets, GSAP Animations & Templates 400K+ · 4.8★ (489) wp.org #13 ↓6 7 too low 7 PowerPack Addons for Elementor: Widgets, Form Styler and Templates 70K+ · 4.8★ (361) wp.org #17 10 too low 8 The Plus Addons for Elementor – Mega Menu, Header Footer, Post Grid, AI Widgets & Templates 100K+ · 4.6★ (388) wp.org #16 ↓1 8 too low 9 SQL Chart Builder 500+ · 3.9★ (22) wp.org #9 10 AI Infographic Maker 600+ · 4.4★ (17) wp.org #14 ↓1 4 too low 11 iChart – Easy Charts and Graphs 300+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #7 ↓1 4 too high 12 Squad Modules Lite – Free Divi 5 & Divi 4 Modules for Divi Builder 1K+ · 5.0★ (12) wp.org #21 ↓1 9 too low 13 SKT Addons for Elementor 1K+ · 4.7★ (3) wp.org #8 ↑2 5 too high 14 Bot Traffic Shield – Block Bad Bots and Stop AI Bots Crawlers 900+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #18 ↓2 4 too low 15 WP Charts and Graphs – WordPress Chart Plugin 1K+ · 4.8★ (4) wp.org #19 ↓1 4 too low 16 UltraAddons for Elementor 600+ · 4.5★ (4) wp.org #12 4 too high 17 Advanced Chart for Elementor 90+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #5 12 too high 18 Ninja Charts – Interactive Charts and Graphs 3K+ · 3.0★ (6) wp.org #11 7 too high 19 Blockenberg — 645 Advanced Gutenberg Blocks, 683 Templates and AI Agent for WordPress Block Editor 1K+ · 4.6★ (5) wp.org #22 ↓1 3 too low 20 Nasio Blocks 400+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #10 ↓2 10 too high 21 Vunelix Financial Widgets – Cryptocurrency, Stock Ticker & Forex 20+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #24 ↓1 3 too low 22 Divine SIP Calculator 70+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #15 ↓1 7 too high 23 Beaver Charts – Beaver Builder Chart Module 80+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #20 ↓1 3 too high 24 CheckoutGuard 70+ · 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.