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

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 “estates”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 of the top 20. 8 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

RealPress – Real Estate Plugin shows at wp.org #9 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 400+ installs carry it up the search order; its 0.0★ average from 0 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Formidable Forms – Contact Form, Survey, Quiz, Payment, Calculator Form & Custom Form Builder places #11 on merit, 4.8★ from 1388 reviews, but shows at wp.org #19. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Widgets for Google Reviews 1M+ · 4.9★ (2667) wp.org #1 2 Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7519) wp.org #4 ↓1 2 too low 3 Estatik Real Estate Plugin 10K+ · 4.6★ (187) wp.org #3 ↓2 4 Essential Real Estate 7K+ · 4.3★ (52) wp.org #2 2 too high 5 Modula Image Gallery – Photo Grid & Video Gallery 100K+ · 4.7★ (616) wp.org #7 2 too low 6 Realtyna Organic IDX plugin + WPL Real Estate 1K+ · 4.7★ (203) wp.org #6 ↓1 7 GeoDirectory – WP Business Directory Plugin and Classified Listings Directory 10K+ · 4.8★ (716) wp.org #8 1 too low 8 Royal Addons for Elementor – Addons and Templates Kit for Elementor 600K+ · 4.8★ (612) wp.org #13 ↓1 5 too low 9 WPCasa – Real Estate for WordPress 1K+ · 4.2★ (36) wp.org #5 ↓1 4 too high 10 HivePress – Business Directory, Listings & Classified Ads Plugin 10K+ · 4.9★ (222) wp.org #14 ↓1 4 too low 11 Formidable Forms – Contact Form, Survey, Quiz, Payment, Calculator Form & Custom Form Builder 300K+ · 4.8★ (1388) wp.org #19 8 too low 12 Classified Listing – AI-Powered Classified ads & Business Directory 9K+ · 4.8★ (138) wp.org #12 ↓1 13 MapPress – Google Maps, OpenStreetMap & Leaflet 30K+ · 4.7★ (147) wp.org #17 4 too low 14 WPVR – 360 Panorama viewer and Virtual Tour Builder for WordPress 10K+ · 4.7★ (133) wp.org #18 ↓2 4 too low 15 Easy Google Maps by Supsystic – Custom Markers, Clustering & Map Themes 20K+ · 4.6★ (251) wp.org #24 9 too low 16 Easy Property Listings 5K+ · 4.7★ (112) wp.org #16 ↓1 17 Twenty20 Image Before-After 20K+ · 4.0★ (54) wp.org #21 ↓1 4 too low 18 Showcase IDX Real Estate Search & Lead Capture 2K+ · 3.8★ (35) wp.org #10 8 too high 19 Buying Buddy IDX CRM – Real Estate MLS Plugin 500+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #15 ↓1 4 too high 20 SimplyRETS Real Estate IDX 200+ · 4.9★ (8) wp.org #20 ↓2 21 MLSImport: IDX Plugin & MLS Plugin for Real Estate Listings 5K+ · 4.2★ (5) wp.org #11 ↓5 10 too high 22 RealPress – Real Estate Plugin 400+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #9 13 too high 23 BlockStrap Page Builder – Bootstrap Blocks 2K+ · 4.5★ (4) wp.org #22 1 too high 24 REES – Real Estate for Woo 70+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #23 ↓2 1 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.