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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “fact checking”

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 “fact checking”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 of the top 20. 3 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

WPSSO Schema Organization and Place Manager shows at wp.org #2 but places #16 on merit, a gap of 14 places. Its 300+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.3★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Fluid Checkout for WooCommerce – Lite places #6 on merit, 4.9★ from 159 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 iQ Block Country 20K+ · 3.9★ (166) wp.org #5 ↓1 4 too low 2 ThinkRank SEO – AI SEO Plugin for SEO & Google Search Console 20K+ · 4.9★ (36) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 Author Box & Pages for E-E-A-T Optimization 200+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #1 2 too high 4 WP Hide & Security Enhancer 50K+ · 4.3★ (275) wp.org #7 ↓1 3 too low 5 10Web Booster – Website speed optimization, Cache & Page Speed optimizer 60K+ · 4.6★ (405) wp.org #16 ↓1 11 too low 6 Fluid Checkout for WooCommerce – Lite 20K+ · 4.9★ (159) wp.org #21 15 too low 7 SAR Friendly SMTP 2K+ · 4.6★ (46) wp.org #12 ↓2 5 too low 8 Ticket Tailor — Event Ticketing & Registration 4K+ · 4.3★ (46) wp.org #11 ↓2 3 too low 9 RootsPersona 400+ · 4.6★ (17) wp.org #8 ↓1 1 too high 10 Link Checker 4K+ · 3.2★ (30) wp.org #6 ↓1 4 too high 11 Child Theme Configurator 300K+ · 4.7★ (280) wp.org #24 ↓2 13 too low 12 Add to Cart Redirect for WooCommerce 6K+ · 4.9★ (101) wp.org #15 ↓1 3 too low 13 Magic Login – Magic Link & Passwordless Authentication for WordPress – Login Without Password 3K+ · 4.8★ (26) wp.org #14 ↓1 1 too low 14 F Fast Smooth Scroll 800+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #4 ↓1 10 too high 15 Pay For Post with WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.7★ (53) wp.org #18 ↓1 3 too low 16 WPSSO Schema Organization and Place Manager 300+ · 4.3★ (3) wp.org #2 14 too high 17 Shop as Client for WooCommerce – Manual, Phone & Email Orders 500+ · 5.0★ (9) wp.org #10 ↓2 7 too high 18 Deliverability – pass DKIM, SPF, DMARC & more 700+ · 4.2★ (15) wp.org #17 ↓1 1 too high 19 Campi Moduli Italiani 400+ · 4.7★ (6) wp.org #9 10 too high 20 AEO God Mode – AI Search Visibility 300+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #19 ↑1 1 too high 21 Opace AI Scribe: SEO Content Creator & Humanizer for OpenAI, Anthropic & Gemini 100+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #23 2 too low 22 I don't like Spam! 200+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #20 ↓2 2 too high 23 Editorial Workflow Manager 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #13 ↓2 10 too high 24 VerifyAI – Fact Checker — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 ↓3 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.