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← Rankings

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

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 “fans”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 of the top 20. 6 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

Bandsintown Events shows at wp.org #2 but places #16 on merit, a gap of 14 places. Its 4K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.3★ average from 8 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Smash Balloon Social Post Feed – Simple Social Feeds for WordPress places #9 on merit, 4.7★ from 1511 reviews, but shows at wp.org #17. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Wp Social Login and Register Social Counter 70K+ · 4.6★ (67) wp.org #1 ↑1 2 Starter Templates: AI-Powered Website Templates for Elementor & Gutenberg 1M+ · 4.9★ (4755) wp.org #4 ↑1 2 too low 3 GiveWP – Donation Plugin and Fundraising Platform 100K+ · 4.6★ (708) wp.org #3 ↑1 4 WP ULike – Like Buttons, Voting & Engagement Analytics 60K+ · 4.8★ (283) wp.org #7 ↓1 3 too low 5 Smart Custom 404 Error Page 100K+ · 4.9★ (1197) wp.org #11 ↑1 6 too low 6 Strong Testimonials 80K+ · 4.8★ (614) wp.org #10 4 too low 7 Better Messages – Chat Rooms, Group Chat, Private Messages & AI Chat Bots 10K+ · 4.8★ (142) wp.org #8 ↑3 1 too low 8 Simple Floating Menu 10K+ · 5.0★ (38) wp.org #6 ↑1 2 too high 9 Smash Balloon Social Post Feed – Simple Social Feeds for WordPress 100K+ · 4.7★ (1511) wp.org #17 8 too low 10 Jetpack Social 30K+ · 3.3★ (74) wp.org #5 ↑3 5 too high 11 Fourteen Colors 8K+ · 4.8★ (48) wp.org #9 2 too high 12 Sender – Newsletter, SMS and Email Marketing Automation for WooCommerce 5K+ · 4.8★ (83) wp.org #14 2 too low 13 MalCare WordPress Security Plugin – Malware Scanner, Cleaner, Security Firewall 100K+ · 4.4★ (559) wp.org #23 ↑1 10 too low 14 Supreme Modules Lite – Divi Theme, Extra Theme and Divi Builder 200K+ · 4.8★ (109) wp.org #22 8 too low 15 Glossary 2K+ · 4.7★ (84) wp.org #20 ↓2 5 too low 16 Bandsintown Events 4K+ · 3.3★ (8) wp.org #2 ↑1 14 too high 17 Easy Image Gallery 4K+ · 4.6★ (41) wp.org #12 ↑7 5 too high 18 Link in Bio Creator – Social 2K+ · 4.3★ (21) wp.org #13 5 too high 19 Social Like Box and Page by WpDevArt 5K+ · 4.2★ (88) wp.org #18 ↑2 1 too high 20 Social LikeBox & Feed 10K+ · 3.3★ (47) wp.org #21 ↑2 1 too low 21 Profile Box Shortcode And Widget 1K+ · 3.7★ (7) wp.org #15 ↑1 6 too high 22 Bolt CTA Button – Floating Call Button for WordPress 2K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #24 2 too low 23 ProScores – Live Scores 800+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #19 ↑2 4 too high 24 H HgE: Shipping Zones for FAN Courier Romania 40+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #16 ↓1 8 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.