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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “envato theme”

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 “envato theme”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 of the top 20. 4 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

wpsection shows at wp.org #6 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 17 places. Its 3K+ 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

Youzify – BuddyPress Community, User Profile, Social Network & Membership Plugin for WordPress places #12 on merit, 4.8★ from 194 reviews, but shows at wp.org #24. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 WP Rollback – Rollback Plugins and Themes 200K+ · 4.9★ (215) wp.org #2 1 too low 2 Classified Listing – AI-Powered Classified ads & Business Directory 9K+ · 4.8★ (138) wp.org #3 ↑1 1 too low 3 NotificationX – FOMO, Live Sales Notification, WooCommerce Sales Popup, GDPR, Social Proof, Announcement Banner & Floating Notification Bar 30K+ · 4.8★ (228) wp.org #5 ↑1 2 too low 4 Visual CSS Style Editor 30K+ · 4.1★ (90) wp.org #4 ↓1 5 Dokan: AI Powered WooCommerce Multivendor Marketplace Solution – Build Your Own Amazon, eBay, Etsy 30K+ · 4.6★ (769) wp.org #8 3 too low 6 License For Envato 9K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #1 5 too high 7 WPZOOM Connect: Social Icons Widget & Block, Share Buttons & Click to Chat 90K+ · 4.9★ (144) wp.org #14 ↓5 7 too low 8 B2BKing — Ultimate WooCommerce B2B and Wholesale Plugin — Wholesale Prices, Bulk Order Form & More 10K+ · 4.9★ (109) wp.org #16 ↑1 8 too low 9 Updater by BestWebSoft 2K+ · 4.7★ (52) wp.org #11 ↓1 2 too low 10 WP Plugin Info Card – Showcase Beautiful Plugin, Theme, and GitHub Cards Anywhere 400+ · 5.0★ (23) wp.org #10 ↑9 11 WC Vendors – WooCommerce Multivendor, WooCommerce Marketplace, Product Vendors 3K+ · 4.5★ (188) wp.org #13 ↓1 2 too low 12 Youzify – BuddyPress Community, User Profile, Social Network & Membership Plugin for WordPress 5K+ · 4.8★ (194) wp.org #24 12 too low 13 Auto Affiliate Links 2K+ · 4.1★ (39) wp.org #12 ↑1 1 too high 14 Template Kit – Import 400K+ · 3.4★ (16) wp.org #7 7 too high 15 Support Genix – Helpdesk, AI Chatbot, Knowledge Base & Customer Support Ticketing System 3K+ · 4.5★ (10) wp.org #9 ↑2 6 too high 16 MarketKing — Ultimate WooCommerce Multivendor Marketplace Solution 700+ · 5.0★ (19) wp.org #23 ↓1 7 too low 17 Content Pilot – Autoblogging & Affiliate Marketing Suite 700+ · 3.6★ (36) wp.org #15 ↓1 2 too high 18 Simple Client Dashboard 2K+ · 4.5★ (26) wp.org #17 ↓2 1 too high 19 Solid Testimonials – Testimonial Slider, Video Testimonials & Customer Reviews 1K+ · 4.3★ (35) wp.org #19 20 Content Egg – Affiliate Product Importer & Price Comparison 10K+ · 3.9★ (56) wp.org #22 ↓1 2 too low 21 CopyProof Website 300+ · 4.4★ (7) wp.org #18 ↓2 3 too high 22 Elite Notification – Sales Popup, Social Proof, FOMO Notification for WooCommerce 30+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #21 ↓1 1 too high 23 wpsection 3K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #6 ↓1 17 too high 24 Elite Licenser addon-lite for WooCommerce 100+ · 3.0★ (4) wp.org #20 ↓2 4 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.