Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “e learning”

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 “e learning”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 14 of the top 20. 5 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

LearnPress – Prerequisites Courses shows at wp.org #4 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 17 places. Its 5K+ 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

FluentCRM – Email Newsletter, Automation, Email Marketing, Email Campaigns, Optins, Leads, and CRM Solution places #8 on merit, 4.8★ from 250 reviews, but shows at wp.org #21. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 All in One SEO – AI SEO Plugin to Boost SEO Rankings & Traffic (Schema, Local SEO, Sitemap & SEO Insights) 2M+ · 4.7★ (5231) wp.org #1 2 MasterStudy LMS WordPress Plugin – for Online Courses and Education 10K+ · 4.5★ (487) wp.org #2 ↑1 3 LifterLMS – WP LMS for eLearning, Online Courses, & Quizzes 10K+ · 4.8★ (393) wp.org #3 ↓1 4 WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance 1M+ · 4.8★ (2617) wp.org #6 ↓1 2 too low 5 Image Hover Effects – Elementor Addon 40K+ · 4.9★ (83) wp.org #11 6 too low 6 Simply Static – The Static Site Generator 30K+ · 4.5★ (195) wp.org #14 ↑7 8 too low 7 LearnPress – WordPress LMS Plugin for Create and Sell Online Courses 70K+ · 4.3★ (597) wp.org #13 ↓1 6 too low 8 FluentCRM – Email Newsletter, Automation, Email Marketing, Email Campaigns, Optins, Leads, and CRM Solution 80K+ · 4.8★ (250) wp.org #21 13 too low 9 VdoCipher: Secure Video Player and Hosting 2K+ · 4.2★ (14) wp.org #8 1 too high 10 MooWoodle – WordPress Moodle LMS Integration, Sell Moodle Courses via WooCommerce 800+ · 4.3★ (39) wp.org #18 ↓1 8 too low 11 Fox LMS – eLearning & Course Builder 60+ · 5.0★ (19) wp.org #16 ↓1 5 too low 12 LearnPress – Backup & Migration Tool 5K+ · 3.0★ (16) wp.org #9 3 too high 13 WP Click to Chat – Email, Live Chat, Call & Book Now Buttons 1K+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #17 4 too low 14 ShipWorks Connector for Woocommerce 200+ · 4.8★ (10) wp.org #19 ↓4 5 too low 15 Layouts for WPBakery 3K+ · 4.4★ (9) wp.org #24 9 too low 16 Verge3D Publishing and E-Commerce 400+ · 4.0★ (4) wp.org #10 6 too high 17 LearnPress – Course Wishlist 10K+ · 3.7★ (3) wp.org #5 ↑1 12 too high 18 Layouts for Divi 1K+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #23 5 too low 19 Thim Kit for Elementor – Pre-built Templates & Widgets for Elementor 20K+ · 4.2★ (5) wp.org #20 ↓1 1 too low 20 Frontend User Notes 70+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #22 ↑1 2 too low 21 LearnPress – Prerequisites Courses 5K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #4 17 too high 22 Auto Post Cleaner 1K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #15 ↑1 7 too high 23 LearnPress – Course Review 20K+ · 2.5★ (8) wp.org #7 16 too high 24 myCred Addons – Ultimate myCred Modules To Support WordPress Gamification and Loyalty Rewards 400+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #12 ↑1 12 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.