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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “easy bookmark”

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 “easy bookmark”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.

Ranked above its merit

Easy Content Manager (ECM) – Custom Post Types, Custom Fields & Content Management shows at wp.org #3 but places #13 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 100+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

MasterStudy LMS WordPress Plugin – for Online Courses and Education places #9 on merit, 4.5★ from 487 reviews, but shows at wp.org #19. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Ultimate Member – User Profile, Registration, Login, Member Directory, Content Restriction & Membership Plugin 200K+ · 4.4★ (1445) wp.org #2 1 too low 2 CBX Bookmark & Favorite 1K+ · 4.6★ (49) wp.org #1 1 too high 3 3D FlipBook – PDF Embedder, PDF Flipbook Viewer, Flipbook Image Gallery 70K+ · 4.8★ (182) wp.org #5 ↓1 2 too low 4 Favorites 10K+ · 4.6★ (133) wp.org #6 2 too low 5 Blog2Social: Social Media Auto Post & Scheduler 40K+ · 4.5★ (2107) wp.org #11 6 too low 6 AMP for WP – Accelerated Mobile Pages 70K+ · 4.4★ (1319) wp.org #10 ↓1 4 too low 7 DearFlip – PDF Flipbook, 3D Flipbook, PDF embed, PDF viewer 200K+ · 4.9★ (194) wp.org #13 ↓3 6 too low 8 Simple Link Directory – AI Powered 2K+ · 4.8★ (121) wp.org #12 4 too low 9 MasterStudy LMS WordPress Plugin – for Online Courses and Education 10K+ · 4.5★ (487) wp.org #19 ↓1 10 too low 10 Better Post & Filter Widgets for Elementor 4K+ · 5.0★ (18) wp.org #9 ↓4 1 too high 11 NextScripts: Social Networks Auto-Poster 20K+ · 3.3★ (617) wp.org #15 ↓1 4 too low 12 Embed Google Photos album 3K+ · 4.4★ (15) wp.org #7 5 too high 13 Easy Content Manager (ECM) – Custom Post Types, Custom Fields & Content Management 100+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #3 10 too high 14 VK All in One Expansion Unit 100K+ · 4.0★ (7) wp.org #4 ↓1 10 too high 15 Simple Business Directory – AI Powered 300+ · 4.9★ (62) wp.org #22 ↓1 7 too low 16 Wishlist for WooCommerce: Multiple Wishlists per Customer 2K+ · 4.9★ (53) wp.org #21 ↑1 5 too low 17 Highlight and Share – Unobtrusive and Lightweight Content Sharing 700+ · 4.9★ (29) wp.org #23 ↑1 6 too low 18 Admin login URL Change 2K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #8 10 too high 19 Users Registration Date – Sortable Users Column 3K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #16 ↓1 3 too high 20 Eazy Plugin Manager 90+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #18 ↓2 2 too high 21 MemberSpace – Sell community access, content, online courses, memberships and paid subscriptions 200+ · 4.3★ (12) wp.org #20 ↓1 1 too high 22 SaveTo Wishlist Lite – WooCommerce Wishlist 500+ · 4.2★ (11) wp.org #24 ↓1 2 too low 23 Sticky Buttons – Floating Buttons Builder 10K+ · 3.7★ (6) wp.org #17 6 too high 24 FV Player 8 1K+ · 4.0★ (2) wp.org #14 ↓1 10 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.