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

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 “evernote”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 of the top 20. 5 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

Easy Share Solution For WordPress shows at wp.org #2 but places #12 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 900+ 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

Social Sharing Plugin – Sassy Social Share places #7 on merit, 4.8★ from 523 reviews, but shows at wp.org #21. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Dark Mode – Improve Accessibility with AI Powered Dark Theme 20K+ · 4.5★ (391) wp.org #4 3 too low 2 Nobs • Share Buttons 3K+ · 4.7★ (93) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 Social Rocket – Social Sharing Plugin 1K+ · 5.0★ (12) wp.org #1 2 too high 4 Professional Social Sharing Buttons, Icons & Related Posts – Shareaholic 10K+ · 4.4★ (1053) wp.org #9 5 too low 5 Contest Gallery – Upload & Vote Photos, Media, Sell with PayPal & Stripe 1K+ · 4.4★ (89) wp.org #5 6 Happyforms – Form Builder for WordPress: Drag & Drop Contact Forms, Surveys, Payments & Multipurpose Forms 20K+ · 4.4★ (433) wp.org #18 12 too low 7 Social Sharing Plugin – Sassy Social Share 100K+ · 4.8★ (523) wp.org #21 14 too low 8 Meks Smart Social Widget 10K+ · 4.6★ (10) wp.org #8 ↓1 9 ModuloBox – NextGen Lightbox 200+ · 4.8★ (6) wp.org #10 1 too low 10 Social Share for WooCommerce 3K+ · 5.0★ (12) wp.org #16 6 too low 11 Social Snap — Social Share Buttons & Click to Tweet 10K+ · 4.2★ (58) wp.org #17 6 too low 12 Easy Share Solution For WordPress 900+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #2 10 too high 13 File Uploader for WooCommerce 100+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #6 7 too high 14 Popular Brand Icons – Simple Icons 3K+ · 4.7★ (10) wp.org #19 5 too low 15 Uploadcare File Uploader and Adaptive Delivery (beta) 70+ · 3.8★ (9) wp.org #13 2 too high 16 WiraKit For Elementor – Powerful Elementor Widgets And Theme Builder 70+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #7 ↑1 9 too high 17 Custom Blocks Templates 20+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #15 2 too high 18 Lion Social Share — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #12 6 too high 19 Unstoppable Share Buttons 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #11 8 too high 20 Floating Share Button 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #14 6 too high 21 Easy Elementor Addons – Addons Pack for Elementor Page Builder 1K+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 1 too low 22 Name: Amazing Neo Brands 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #23 1 too low 23 SimpleSocial 100+ · 3.0★ (2) wp.org #20 3 too high 24 RSS Feed Styles 100+ · 5.0★ (1) 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.