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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “embedded pin”

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 “embedded pin”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 of the top 20.

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.

P

Ranked above its merit

Pinora Address Autofill for Indian PIN Codes shows at wp.org #7 but places #17 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 50+ installs carry it up the search order; its 0.0★ average from 0 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Invisible Anti-Spam & CAPTCHA — reCAPTCHA Alternative for All Forms places #8 on merit, 4.8★ from 50 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 Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5040) wp.org #1 2 Better Messages – Chat Rooms, Group Chat, Private Messages & AI Chat Bots 10K+ · 4.8★ (142) wp.org #2 3 Tutor LMS – eLearning and online course solution 100K+ · 4.4★ (590) wp.org #4 ↓1 1 too low 4 Headers Security Advanced & HSTS WP 90K+ · 4.9★ (79) wp.org #3 ↑1 1 too high 5 AI Engine – MCP Server & AI Chatbot for WordPress, with Claude, ChatGPT & Gemini 90K+ · 4.9★ (874) wp.org #6 1 too low 6 WPSSO Core – Complete Schema Markup and Meta Tags 4K+ · 4.6★ (306) wp.org #5 1 too high 7 Tickera – Sell Tickets & Manage Events 2K+ · 4.5★ (292) wp.org #8 1 too low 8 Invisible Anti-Spam & CAPTCHA — reCAPTCHA Alternative for All Forms 5K+ · 4.8★ (50) wp.org #15 ↑4 7 too low 9 OpenStation – Admin Dashboard Notes, Custom Dashboard, AI Assistant & PWA 1K+ · 5.0★ (23) wp.org #18 ↓1 9 too low 10 Social Engine 600+ · 4.8★ (30) wp.org #20 10 too low 11 Comment Link Remove and Other Comment Tools 8K+ · 4.1★ (15) wp.org #12 1 too low 12 Squad Modules Lite – Free Divi 5 & Divi 4 Modules for Divi Builder 1K+ · 5.0★ (12) wp.org #19 ↓1 7 too low 13 WP Discourse 1K+ · 4.5★ (8) wp.org #14 ↓1 1 too low 14 Store Locator for WordPress📍 1K+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #13 ↑1 1 too high 15 Interactive Globes – 3D World Maps 400+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #11 ↓2 4 too high 16 RumbleTalk Group Chat for Communities & Live Events 600+ · 3.4★ (21) wp.org #21 5 too low 17 P Pinora Address Autofill for Indian PIN Codes 50+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #7 10 too high 18 Store Locator Widget 300+ · 3.7★ (3) wp.org #10 ↑1 8 too high 19 All Embed – Multi-Source Embed Widgets for Elementor 500+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #9 ↑1 10 too high 20 Pin Magic – Pin Creator for Pinterest — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 ↓2 3 too high 21 Previu – Visual Client Feedback for Elementor 40+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #16 5 too high 22 PinSpot – Interactive Image Hotspots 30+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #24 2 too low 23 Secure Owl Firewall 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #22 1 too high 24 Vieww Events Calendar – Recurring Events, Event Map & Calendar 30+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #23 1 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.