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

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 “extension”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 15 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

Add Any Extension to Pages shows at wp.org #7 but places #17 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 2K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 6 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Modula Image Gallery – Photo Grid & Video Gallery places #12 on merit, 4.7★ from 616 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 WooCommerce 7M+ · 4.5★ (4833) wp.org #1 2 Ultimate Member – User Profile, Registration, Login, Member Directory, Content Restriction & Membership Plugin 200K+ · 4.4★ (1445) wp.org #5 3 too low 3 Sina Extension for Elementor 40K+ · 4.9★ (35) wp.org #2 1 too high 4 The Events Calendar 600K+ · 4.2★ (2461) wp.org #8 ↑1 4 too low 5 Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI 10M+ · 4.8★ (27821) wp.org #12 ↑5 7 too low 6 DTX – Dynamic Text Extension for Contact Form 7 100K+ · 4.7★ (99) wp.org #4 2 too high 7 Nexter Extension – Security, Performance, Code Snippets & Site Toolkit 10K+ · 4.7★ (13) wp.org #3 4 too high 8 All-in-One WP Migration and Backup 5M+ · 4.5★ (7676) wp.org #13 5 too low 9 PDF Invoices & Packing Slips for WooCommerce 300K+ · 5.0★ (1865) wp.org #11 2 too low 10 Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132) wp.org #14 4 too low 11 Australia Post WooCommerce Extension 3K+ · 4.4★ (19) wp.org #6 5 too high 12 Modula Image Gallery – Photo Grid & Video Gallery 100K+ · 4.7★ (616) wp.org #24 12 too low 13 Custom HTML Block Extension 7K+ · 5.0★ (13) wp.org #9 ↓1 4 too high 14 Connect Contact Form 7 to Mailchimp, Brevo, MailerLite, Klaviyo, GetResponse, EmailOctopus, Campaign Monitor & Moosend 40K+ · 4.3★ (190) wp.org #20 6 too low 15 The SEO Framework – Fast, Automated, Effortless. 200K+ · 4.9★ (380) wp.org #23 8 too low 16 bbPress 100K+ · 3.9★ (343) wp.org #21 ↓1 5 too low 17 Add Any Extension to Pages 2K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #7 10 too high 18 Extensions for Leaflet Map 3K+ · 5.0★ (24) wp.org #17 ↓4 1 too high 19 RichText Extension 900+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #10 9 too high 20 Contact Form 7 GetResponse Extension 1K+ · 4.3★ (7) wp.org #16 ↑2 4 too high 21 S SMS Extension for Contact Form 7 400+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #18 ↑1 3 too high 22 Record of Consent Extension for Complianz 700+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #15 ↑1 7 too high 23 Extension Info Exporter 200+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #22 ↓1 1 too high 24 C CMB2 Admin Extension 200+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #19 5 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.