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

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 “engineering”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 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 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

UTM Tracker for Contact Form 7 shows at wp.org #5 but places #11 on merit, a gap of 6 places. Its 400+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

WPConsent – Cookie Banner & Cookie Consent for Privacy Compliance (GDPR / CCPA / EU Compliance Cookie Notice) places #1 on merit, 4.8★ from 84 reviews, but shows at wp.org #6. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 WPConsent – Cookie Banner & Cookie Consent for Privacy Compliance (GDPR / CCPA / EU Compliance Cookie Notice) 200K+ · 4.8★ (84) wp.org #6 5 too low 2 Angie – Agentic AI 100K+ · 3.3★ (20) wp.org #2 ↓1 3 Authenticator 1K+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #3 4 Boei – AI Chatbot, Live Chat & 50+ Channels 900+ · 5.0★ (30) wp.org #7 3 too low 5 GRO 300+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #1 ↑1 4 too high 6 Calculator Builder – Create an Online Calculator 1K+ · 4.7★ (18) wp.org #8 2 too low 7 3D Viewer – Turn Product Pages into Interactive 3D Experiences 9K+ · 4.7★ (24) wp.org #9 2 too low 8 Set Price Note (Units, Offers, Editions) for WooCommerce 700+ · 4.7★ (3) wp.org #4 4 too high 9 Text to Speech – TTSWP 200+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #10 ↑2 1 too low 10 AI ChatBot with ChatGPT and Content Generator by AYS 300+ · 5.0★ (9) wp.org #17 ↓1 7 too low 11 UTM Tracker for Contact Form 7 400+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #5 6 too high 12 Bulk Export Import Images SEO Attributes 20+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #19 7 too low 13 iConvert Email Marketer 1K+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #13 ↓2 14 BrainCert Virtual Classroom 10+ · 3.7★ (6) wp.org #22 ↓1 8 too low 15 toolbox百宝箱 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #14 ↓1 1 too high 16 Hide Login Language Selector 20+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #11 5 too high 17 Press3D 40+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #12 ↓2 5 too high 18 Split Order by category for Woocommerce 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #15 3 too high 19 CodeArt Units Converter 70+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #16 ↓2 3 too high 20 AUREVYX — Website Engineering & Intelligence Platform — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 ↓1 1 too low 21 NNFP – Passwordless Email OTP Login 30+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #18 3 too high 22 AutoReply AI & LLMS.txt Generator 20+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #20 ↓1 2 too high 23 Kanban for WooCommerce 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #23 ↓6 24 LLM Bot Tracker – AI Crawler Detection & Analytics 1K+ · 3.0★ (2) wp.org #24 ↓2

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.