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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “eli code”

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 “eli code”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 of the top 20. 2 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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.

Ranked above its merit

Compress & Upload shows at wp.org #10 but places #15 on merit, a gap of 5 places. Its 10+ 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.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Anti-Malware Security and Brute-Force Firewall 100K+ · 4.9★ (783) wp.org #2 1 too low 2 EZ SQL Reports Shortcode Widget and DB Backup 500+ · 4.7★ (15) wp.org #4 2 too low 3 Eli's PHP Compatibility Scanner 1K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #1 2 too high 4 Stock Ticker 2K+ · 4.4★ (21) wp.org #5 1 too low 5 Slideshow SE 2K+ · 4.9★ (8) wp.org #8 3 too low 6 EZ Anti-Spam Comments with reCAPTCHA 300+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #3 3 too high 7 E EZ Related Posts Footer Links and Widget 100+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #7 8 Spexo Addons for Elementor – Elementor Widgets, Mega Menu, Popup Builder, Template Kits and Starter Templates for Elementor 6K+ · 4.8★ (4) wp.org #6 2 too high 9 EZ SHORTCURL Shortcodes to Fetch and Parse External Content 70+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #18 9 too low 10 Stock Quote 100+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #16 6 too low 11 King Addons for Elementor – 100+ Elementor Widgets, 4 000+ Elementor Templates, WooCommerce Builder, Mega Menu, Popup Builder 10K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #9 2 too high 12 CoffeeWP Media Cleanup – Scan and Remove Unused Media and Orphan Thumbnails — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #11 1 too high 13 Hale Accessibility Dossier for EAA — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #12 1 too high 14 Slideshow Reloaded 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #17 3 too low 15 Compress & Upload 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #10 5 too high 16 T This Day In History Widget 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #13 3 too high 17 Red8 – AI Color Palette Generator — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #14 3 too high 18 ELI for Digital Magazines — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #15 3 too high 19 Customize Plus — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #19 20 E EZ powerPress/podPress Addon Widget 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20

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.