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

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 “fab”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 4 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

WPC Multi Currency for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #8 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 16 places. Its 60+ installs carry it up the search order; its 1.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Bolt CTA Button – Floating Call Button for WordPress 2K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #1 2 WP EXtra – One Click Optimize 6K+ · 4.9★ (41) wp.org #5 3 too low 3 Floating Awesome Button (Sticky Button, Popup, Toast) & 200+ Website Custom Interactive Element 700+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #3 4 WP Font Awesome 10K+ · 4.9★ (9) wp.org #6 2 too low 5 Floating Action Button 900+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #4 1 too high 6 OffCanvas / Drawer – add sleek slide-in panels to any page 900+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #2 4 too high 7 Sumtics – AI Summarizer & TL;DR Generator 60+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #7 8 Webworq Social Share Buttons 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #9 ↑3 1 too low 9 Naviplus Menu Builder — · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #15 ↓2 6 too low 10 Alirahimpoor Contact & Social Panel 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #12 ↑5 2 too low 11 DeskHub – All-in-One Contact Widget (AI Chatbot, SMS, Email, FAQ) — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #10 ↓1 1 too high 12 DS Mobile Menu – Customizable Bottom Navigation Bar 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #14 ↑6 2 too low 13 AI Post Summarizer Lite for WordPress — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #11 2 too high 14 Quick debug.log Viewer 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #13 ↓3 1 too high 15 Advanced Buttons for Elementor — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #16 1 too low 16 4WP TODO — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 ↓3 1 too low 17 Reservation Widget for Overfull — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #18 ↓2 1 too low 18 Cartexa – Smart Cart for WooCommerce — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #19 ↓1 1 too low 19 Kazzylen Smart Multi-Currency for WooCommerce — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 ↑1 1 too low 20 Ashik Mobile Bottom Navigation & Drawer Menu — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 1 too low 21 Pointwise Summary – AI-Powered TLDR, AI Summarize & Social Sharing — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 1 too low 22 Terminbuchung & Kontakt-Button – Delta Booking Button — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 ↑1 1 too low 23 StudioMeta – AI Receptionist and WooCommerce Assistant — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #24 ↓1 1 too low 24 WPC Multi Currency for WooCommerce 60+ · 1.0★ (1) wp.org #8 16 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.