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

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 “entry search”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 15 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.

Ranked above its merit

Entry Manager for WPForms – Save Form Entries to Database & Export shows at wp.org #4 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 17 places. Its 100+ 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.

Buried gem

Calculated Fields Form – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact, Payment, Quote, Quiz & More places #7 on merit, 4.9★ from 973 reviews, but shows at wp.org #22. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Ajax Search Lite – Live Search & Filter 70K+ · 4.8★ (266) wp.org #1 2 Search Analytics for WP – Site Search Tracking 3K+ · 5.0★ (30) wp.org #2 3 GSheetConnector – CF7 Google Sheets Connector & Save CF7 Entries to Database 40K+ · 4.4★ (129) wp.org #3 4 Fluent Forms – Customizable Contact Forms, Survey, Quiz, & Conversational Form Builder 800K+ · 4.8★ (807) wp.org #5 ↓1 1 too low 5 Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408) wp.org #7 ↑9 2 too low 6 WP Statistics – Simple, privacy-friendly Google Analytics alternative 500K+ · 4.1★ (758) wp.org #10 ↑3 4 too low 7 Calculated Fields Form – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact, Payment, Quote, Quiz & More 40K+ · 4.9★ (973) wp.org #22 ↓3 15 too low 8 UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8708) wp.org #23 15 too low 9 Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423) wp.org #20 ↓2 11 too low 10 Echo Knowledge Base – Documentation, FAQs, Chat & Smart Search 10K+ · 4.9★ (124) wp.org #17 ↓2 7 too low 11 CF7 Views – Complete Entry Management for Contact Form 7 1K+ · 4.6★ (17) wp.org #8 ↓1 3 too high 12 Easy MCP AI – Connect Claude to WordPress: MCP Server for ChatGPT & AI Agents 30K+ · 4.9★ (16) wp.org #15 ↑5 3 too low 13 Views for WPForms – Display & Edit WPForms Entries on your site frontend 1K+ · 5.0★ (24) wp.org #19 ↓2 6 too low 14 AI Search for WooCommerce — Semantic & Live Search 90+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #9 ↓1 5 too high 15 Search Atlas SEO – OTTO AI SEO Automation for WordPress 7K+ · 3.3★ (24) wp.org #12 ↓1 3 too high 16 GSheetConnector – WPForms Google Sheets Connector, Save WPForms Lite & PRO Entries to Database & Sheets 7K+ · 4.6★ (18) wp.org #21 5 too low 17 SearchWP Modal Search Form 5K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #13 ↓1 4 too high 18 Open Search Document 200+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #11 ↓2 7 too high 19 Visibility – Lightweight SEO, AEO and GEO for Search and AI 600+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #16 ↓2 3 too high 20 Clone Gravity Form Entry 90+ · 4.3★ (3) wp.org #6 ↑4 14 too high 21 Entry Manager for WPForms – Save Form Entries to Database & Export 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #4 ↑1 17 too high 22 Simple Entry Booking for WooCommerce 40+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #18 ↑4 4 too high 23 WebEquipe PDF Search 200+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #14 ↓8 9 too high 24 NivoSearch – Ajax Search for WooCommerce 60+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #24

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.