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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “download button”

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 “download button”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 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

Image Download Button shows at wp.org #14 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 100+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

AddToAny Share Buttons places #9 on merit, 4.7★ from 1114 reviews, but shows at wp.org #15. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Download Monitor 80K+ · 4.5★ (525) wp.org #1 2 Download Manager 100K+ · 4.1★ (1006) wp.org #2 3 Simple Download Monitor 20K+ · 4.7★ (158) wp.org #4 ↑2 1 too low 4 Download Plugin 60K+ · 4.5★ (27) wp.org #3 1 too high 5 Easy Digital Downloads – eCommerce Payments and Subscriptions made easy 40K+ · 4.7★ (591) wp.org #10 5 too low 6 Download Attachments 8K+ · 4.5★ (46) wp.org #7 1 too low 7 Download Plugins and Themes in ZIP from Dashboard 30K+ · 4.9★ (27) wp.org #8 1 too low 8 Quick Download Button 1K+ · 4.6★ (12) wp.org #6 ↓2 2 too high 9 AddToAny Share Buttons 300K+ · 4.7★ (1114) wp.org #15 ↓1 6 too low 10 Smooth Back To Top Button 40K+ · 4.9★ (31) wp.org #13 ↑3 3 too low 11 Free Downloads WooCommerce 4K+ · 4.7★ (85) wp.org #11 12 Button Block – Stylish buttons that get more clicks 5K+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #5 7 too high 13 Easy Media Download 8K+ · 4.0★ (28) wp.org #9 4 too high 14 Simple Download Counter 2K+ · 4.9★ (19) wp.org #12 2 too high 15 Buttonizer – Floating Menus, Sticky Buttons, & Popup Builder 70K+ · 4.5★ (151) wp.org #16 ↓1 1 too low 16 Download After Email – Subscribe & Download Form Plugin 7K+ · 4.4★ (30) wp.org #21 ↓2 5 too low 17 Buttonizer – Live Chat, AI Chatbot, Call, Chat, Contact Button 50K+ · 5.0★ (23) wp.org #17 18 Add to Calendar Button 3K+ · 5.0★ (11) wp.org #19 ↑1 1 too low 19 Back Button Widget 4K+ · 5.0★ (10) wp.org #23 4 too low 20 Button Generator – Easily Create Custom Buttons with Icons and Analytics 4K+ · 4.3★ (18) wp.org #24 ↓1 4 too low 21 Quick Buy Now Button for WooCommerce 50K+ · 5.0★ (10) wp.org #22 1 too low 22 Image Download Button 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #14 ↓1 8 too high 23 Download Media File 400+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #20 ↑1 3 too high 24 Blog Floating Button 8K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #18 6 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.