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

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 “esms”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 7 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

eSMS shows at wp.org #10 but places #16 on merit, a gap of 6 places. Its 50+ 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.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Mirror App – Social Gallery Feed 70+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #1 2 Winden — Tailwind CSS Compiler with Full WordPress Integration 10+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #2 3 CardanoPress – Cardano Blockchain Integration for WordPress 40+ · 5.0★ (14) wp.org #20 ↓1 17 too low 4 ESM Consumer Evaluation — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #3 1 too high 5 ESM Rewards & Benefits — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #4 1 too high 6 neo Rename – AI Media Renamer for renaming images & alt text with batch processing 200+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #19 ↓1 13 too low 7 ESM Membership & Auth — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #5 2 too high 8 ESM Web3 Social Connect — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #6 2 too high 9 Mirror App – Social Mix 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #7 2 too high 10 Mirror App – Social Page 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #8 2 too high 11 Mirror App – Visual Feed — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #9 ↑1 2 too high 12 neo Alt – AI Alt Text Generator for images with bulk processing – Free and No API Key Required 200+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #17 ↓1 5 too low 13 JAZ-X Media Provenance Inspector — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #11 2 too high 14 Mirror App – Video Feed — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #12 2 too high 15 Mirror App – Social Page — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #13 2 too high 16 eSMS 50+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #10 ↓1 6 too high 17 Mamtack — Visual Feedback Tool for the AI Era — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #14 3 too high 18 Instant Crypto Payments for WooCommerce — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #15 ↓1 3 too high 19 E eSMS Notify — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #18 ↓1 1 too high 20 NinjaDraw – Diagram, Flowchart, Mind Map & Sketching Tool 70+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 ↓1 2 too low 21 Dialog eSMS 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #16 ↓1 5 too high 22 neo Replace – Simple replacement using drag & drop 90+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #21 ↓1 1 too high 23 一介資男(Mxp.TW) 開發工具箱 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #23 ↓1 24 CardanoPress – Governance for Cardano 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #24 ↓1

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.