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

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 “encyclopedia”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 4 of the top 17. 3 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.

Buried gem

Zotpress places #4 on merit, 4.9★ from 66 reviews, but shows at wp.org #10. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

BetterDocs – AI Documentation, Knowledge Base, MCP Server, Docs, Wikis, FAQ & Chatbot 30K+ · 4.8★ (515) heavy footprint wp.org #1 2

Glossary 2K+ · 4.7★ (84) wp.org #2 3

Encyclopedia / Glossary / Wiki 1K+ · 3.4★ (161) closure risk low rating, top placementstale but ranked wp.org #3 4

Zotpress 2K+ · 4.9★ (66) wp.org #10 6 too low 5

Heroic Glossary – Block for building Glossaries, Dictionaries and more 3K+ · 3.8★ (10) thin reviews wp.org #4 1 too high 6

Video Gallery – YouTube, Vimeo Gallery & YouTube API 1K+ · 4.0★ (7) thin reviews wp.org #9 3 too low 7

Kung Woo Easy Encyclopedia — · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews wp.org #6 1 too high 8

Clever Linked Terms 10+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews wp.org #5 3 too high 9

Glossary Pages 30+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews wp.org #7 2 too high 10

3task Glossary: A-Z Index, Dictionary & Wiki — · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews wp.org #8 2 too high 11

orcas Responsive Wiki 10+ · 5.0★ (2) closure risk thin reviews wp.org #14 ↓1 3 too low 12 E EncycloShare — · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviews wp.org #11 1 too high 13

Flexicon – Very fresh Lexicon — · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviews wp.org #12 1 too high 14

Borges Bibliography Builder — · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews wp.org #13 1 too high 15 S Search by Tags 20+ · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviews wp.org #17 ↓1 2 too low 16 C Coastal Factoid 10+ · 4.0★ (1) closure risk thin reviews wp.org #16 ↓1 17 W wp-dexter — · 5.0★ (1) closure risk thin reviews wp.org #15 ↓1 2 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.