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

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 “entertainment”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 of the top 20. 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.

Ranked above its merit

MSN Partner Hub shows at wp.org #5 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 19 places. Its 1K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 2.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2144) wp.org #1 2 Gutenberg Essential Blocks – Page Builder for Gutenberg Blocks & Patterns 100K+ · 4.9★ (216) wp.org #3 ↑1 1 too low 3 Disqus Comment System 30K+ · 2.7★ (219) wp.org #2 1 too high 4 WP Maps – Google Maps, OpenStreetMap, Mapbox, Store Locator with Search, Filters & Listings 60K+ · 4.3★ (122) wp.org #4 ↓1 5 Video Gallery – YouTube Gallery, Vimeo, Video Portfolio, Image Portfolio and Image Gallery 10K+ · 4.8★ (182) wp.org #8 3 too low 6 Importify – AI Dropshipping for WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.5★ (27) wp.org #17 ↓1 11 too low 7 Chatbot for WordPress by Collect.chat ⚡️ 6K+ · 4.4★ (38) wp.org #13 6 too low 8 Store Locator for WordPress📍 1K+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #10 2 too low 9 Schema Package – Structured Data & Rich Snippets Tool for SEO 200+ · 4.8★ (20) wp.org #24 15 too low 10 Dynamic AJAX Product Filters for WooCommerce 1K+ · 5.0★ (11) wp.org #14 4 too low 11 SmartFrame Images 90+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #11 12 Integration of Icecat Live 60+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #9 3 too high 13 SUBRE – Product Subscription for WooCommerce – Recurring Payments 200+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #12 1 too high 14 WP Guidant | Guided Selling & Product Recommendation Quiz Plugin 300+ · 4.1★ (10) wp.org #20 6 too low 15 Stylish Scrolling Title 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #7 8 too high 16 WP Film Studio – WordPress Movie Maker/Production Plugin 200+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #15 1 too high 17 Funbutler Booking System 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #6 11 too high 18 Split Order by category for Woocommerce 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #16 ↑1 2 too high 19 BotPenguin – Generative AI Chatbot with Live Chat & ChatGPT 600+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 ↑1 2 too low 20 B BP Premiums for BuddyPress 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #18 2 too high 21 Mevabi – Daily Word Puzzle 20+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #19 ↑4 2 too high 22 Radio Browser Stations 20+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #22 ↓3 23 AlphaPay for WeChat Pay, Alipay, UnionPay, and Credit Card（微信支付，支付宝，银联，信用卡支付） 60+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 ↓2 24 MSN Partner Hub 1K+ · 2.0★ (2) wp.org #5 19 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.