Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

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

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 “dyslexia”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 7 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

DockAccess Accessibility Widget shows at wp.org #3 but places #12 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 300+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Text To Speech TTS Accessibility places #5 on merit, 4.8★ from 92 reviews, but shows at wp.org #14. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 AccessiYes Accessibility Widget for ADA, EAA & WCAG Readiness 20K+ · 4.8★ (36) wp.org #1 2 Screen Reader Accessibility – WCAG, Text-to-Speech & AI Accessibility Fixes 600+ · 4.8★ (31) wp.org #4 ↓1 2 too low 3 Real Accessibility: Accessibility Widget & Toolbar 1K+ · 4.9★ (7) wp.org #2 1 too high 4 ResponsiveVoice Text To Speech 7K+ · 3.9★ (34) wp.org #5 ↓1 1 too low 5 Text To Speech TTS Accessibility 4K+ · 4.8★ (92) wp.org #14 9 too low 6 WP Spell Check 2K+ · 2.9★ (39) wp.org #8 2 too low 7 Accessible Carousel & Slider – WCAG AA Compliant Slideshow 500+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #6 1 too high 8 Accessibility Assistant – EAA ADA WCAG AODA 100+ · 4.3★ (9) wp.org #7 1 too high 9 Web accessibility widget by tabnav 300+ · 4.0★ (4) wp.org #9 10 Text to Speech – TTSWP 200+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #20 10 too low 11 Accessibility Enabler 300+ · 3.9★ (7) wp.org #11 12 DockAccess Accessibility Widget 300+ · 4.0★ (2) wp.org #3 ↑2 9 too high 13 ReachDeck Toolbar 200+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #10 3 too high 14 Barrierefrei – mit Hürdenlos.Assist 30+ · 4.0★ (4) wp.org #24 ↓1 10 too low 15 EDigital Accessibility Tools and Statement 40+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #12 3 too high 16 Accesly Widget 20+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #23 ↓2 7 too low 17 ExtenderX – Accessibility Toolbar, Dark Mode & Site Tools 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #16 1 too high 18 Kukie – Cookie Consent & Privacy Banner (GDPR, CCPA, DSGVO) 90+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #13 5 too high 19 AZUP Acessibilidade 50+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 ↓1 2 too high 20 Widewalk – Accessibility Toolbar 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #18 2 too high 21 Accessibility Assistant – Readabler 300+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #19 2 too high 22 Royal Access – Accessibility Toolbar & WCAG Tools 60+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 23 One Accessibility – WordPress Accessibility Plugin & ADA Compliance Widget 300+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #15 8 too high 24 MH-Accessibility 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #21 ↓4 3 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.