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

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 “etch”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 16 of the top 20. 1 plugin is 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

Jooosi Icon – Modern SVG icon library for WordPress shows at wp.org #4 but places #10 on merit, a gap of 6 places. Its 200+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

FunnelKit – Funnel Builder Plugin for WooCommerce Checkout places #7 on merit, 5.0★ from 1028 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 WS Form LITE – Drag & Drop Contact Form Builder 10K+ · 5.0★ (322) wp.org #5 4 too low 2 Jooosi Fon – Use Custom Fonts, Google Fonts or Adobe Fonts 4K+ · 5.0★ (25) wp.org #2 3 WindPress – Tailwind CSS integration for WordPress 3K+ · 5.0★ (37) wp.org #3 4 Popup Maker – Boost Sales, Conversions, Optins, Subscribers with the Ultimate WP Popup Builder 600K+ · 4.9★ (4514) wp.org #15 ↓3 11 too low 5 Uplink Media Bridge for Etch 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #1 4 too high 6 Atarim – AI Agency for WordPress: Edit Pages, Fix Code, Update Plugins, SEO & Client Feedback 1K+ · 4.9★ (126) wp.org #7 ↑1 1 too low 7 FunnelKit – Funnel Builder Plugin for WooCommerce Checkout 30K+ · 5.0★ (1028) wp.org #19 ↓2 12 too low 8 SureRank SEO – Meta Tags, Social Preview, XML Sitemap, Schema & Open Graph 300K+ · 4.8★ (51) wp.org #16 8 too low 9 NIBWP – Self-Hosted MCP Server – Connect Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor & Any AI Agent via MCP 300+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #6 3 too high 10 Jooosi Icon – Modern SVG icon library for WordPress 200+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #4 6 too high 11 SureDash – Community, Courses & Member Dashboard 1K+ · 4.3★ (23) wp.org #20 ↓2 9 too low 12 Uplink Unified Ops Center 40+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #8 ↓1 4 too high 13 Pewit Style Kit for Etch — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #9 4 too high 14 Uplink Editorial Title 40+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #10 4 too high 15 Uplink Hours & Greetings — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #11 4 too high 16 AlphaBridge MCP – WordPress MCP Server: Connect Claude, ChatGPT and AI Agents 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #12 ↑7 4 too high 17 TokenForge — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #13 4 too high 18 ImproveAB: A/B Testing — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #14 ↓1 4 too high 19 Uplink Media Manager — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 2 too high 20 Pixel Made Simple — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 ↓1 1 too low 21 Figma to Oxygen Builder – ready→made WordPress Integration 100+ · 3.0★ (2) wp.org #18 ↓3 3 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.