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

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 “encoder”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 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 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

Link Invoice Payment for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #10 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 200+ 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 Email Encoder – Protect Email Addresses and Phone Numbers 90K+ · 4.9★ (94) wp.org #1 ↑1 2 Anti-Spam, Spam FireWall by CleanTalk 200K+ · 4.8★ (3220) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 Email Address Encoder 100K+ · 4.2★ (160) wp.org #2 ↓1 1 too high 4 WPMasterToolKit (WPMTK) – All in one plugin 5K+ · 5.0★ (28) wp.org #5 1 too low 5 QuickWebP – WebP & AVIF Image Optimizer, Compression & SEO for WordPress 8K+ · 4.8★ (20) wp.org #4 1 too high 6 WpStream – Live Streaming, Video on Demand, Pay Per View 3K+ · 4.8★ (78) wp.org #6 7 MegaOptim Image Optimizer – Convert to WebP & AVIF, Compress Images Locally 100+ · 5.0★ (34) wp.org #9 2 too low 8 T Trackserver 400+ · 5.0★ (19) wp.org #15 ↓1 7 too low 9 I ionCube Tester Plus 300+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #7 2 too high 10 CopySafe Video Protection – Copy Protect Video 100+ · 3.7★ (6) wp.org #16 ↓1 6 too low 11 Broadcast Live Video – Live Streaming : WebRTC, HLS, RTSP, RTMP 400+ · 2.7★ (14) wp.org #12 ↓1 1 too low 12 Blockenberg — 645 Advanced Gutenberg Blocks, 683 Templates and AI Agent for WordPress Block Editor 1K+ · 4.6★ (5) wp.org #13 ↓1 1 too low 13 PixGrow Image Optimizer 90+ · 4.0★ (4) wp.org #19 ↓1 6 too low 14 Rupanta Media Converter 60+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #8 6 too high 15 WebberZone Image Optimizer – WebP & AVIF Converter, Compress Images 10+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #17 ↑5 2 too low 16 Uplink Media Bridge for Etch 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #20 ↓3 4 too low 17 WhoKnew Shield — Email, Phone & Address Security 30+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #11 ↑2 6 too high 18 UWH Image Optimizer & Converter 80+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #18 19 I-PR AVIF Converter – Automatic Image Optimization 20+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #14 ↑2 5 too high 20 Link Invoice Payment for WooCommerce 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #10 10 too high 21 CLU Just Modern Images 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 22 VMPlayer 50+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 ↓3 23 VeloIMG – WebP & AVIF Image Optimizer 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 24 PDEV Image Optimizer – WebP & AVIF 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #24 ↓3

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.