wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “facebook commenting”
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 “facebook commenting”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 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
Chatroll Live Chat shows at wp.org #7 but places #16 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 200+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.0★ average from 5 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Contest Gallery – Upload & Vote Photos, Media, Sell with PayPal & Stripe places #10 on merit, 4.4★ from 89 reviews, but shows at wp.org #15. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Genial Comments 4K+ · 4.8★ (20) thin reviews
wp.org #1 2 
Simple Membership 40K+ · 4.6★ (475) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #2 ↑4 3 
Envira Gallery – Image Photo Gallery, Albums, Video Gallery, Slideshows & More 100K+ · 4.7★ (1597)
wp.org #5 ↓2 2 too low 4 
Photo Gallery by 10Web – Mobile-Friendly Image Gallery 100K+ · 4.5★ (1581) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #3 ↑1 1 too high 5 
Social Login, Social Sharing by miniOrange 10K+ · 4.6★ (356) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #6 ↑1 1 too low 6 
Disqus Comment System 30K+ · 2.7★ (219) low rating, top placement
wp.org #4 ↑1 2 too high 7 
NotificationX – FOMO, Live Sales Notification, WooCommerce Sales Popup, GDPR, Social Proof, Announcement Banner & Floating Notification Bar 30K+ · 4.8★ (228)
wp.org #11 ↑3 4 too low 8 
Schema – All In One Schema Rich Snippets 30K+ · 4.0★ (162)
wp.org #10 2 too low 9 
Social Comments by Heateor 600+ · 4.7★ (23) thin reviews
wp.org #8 ↑1 1 too high 10 Contest Gallery – Upload & Vote Photos, Media, Sell with PayPal & Stripe 1K+ · 4.4★ (89)
wp.org #15 ↑1 5 too low 11 
Gratisfaction- Loyalty, Rewards , Referral, Birthday and Giveaway Program 600+ · 4.8★ (205) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #16 ↑2 5 too low 12 
Vuukle – Comments, Reactions, Quizzes, Share Bar & Ad Revenue 200+ · 4.1★ (35)
wp.org #13 ↓1 1 too low 13 
Social Boost: Giveaways, Instant win and Contests. Grow followers, shares, subscribers, traffic, referrals, sales and more 100+ · 5.0★ (25)
wp.org #18 ↑2 5 too low 14 
rtMedia for WordPress, BuddyPress and bbPress 7K+ · 3.7★ (152) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #17 ↑2 3 too low 15 
CM Download Manager – Organize, Protect & Share Files in WordPress 100+ · 3.9★ (43)
wp.org #19 ↑2 4 too low 16 Chatroll Live Chat 200+ · 4.0★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #7 ↑1 9 too high 17 
Hyvor Talk – Comments, Newsletters, Memberships 90+ · 5.0★ (5) not PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #9 ↑2 8 too high 18 
SureDash – Community, Courses & Member Dashboard 1K+ · 4.3★ (23) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #14 ↑1 4 too high 19 
Comment Link Remove and Other Comment Tools 8K+ · 4.1★ (15) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #12 ↑1 7 too high 20 
KnowledgeBase with AI ChatBot HelpDesk – KBx 30+ · 4.6★ (14) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #23 3 too low 21 
LazyTasks – Project & Task Management with Collaboration, Kanban and Gantt Chart 90+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #24 ↓7 3 too low 22 
Heateor Login – Social Login Plugin 20+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #21 ↑2 1 too high 23 
Social Login by BestWebSoft 70+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #20 ↑2 3 too high 24 
No Register & Comments XD 80+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews
wp.org #22 ↑2 2 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.