Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

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

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 “fb”, 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

Auto Sync for FB shows at wp.org #12 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 40+ installs carry it up the search order; its 0.0★ average from 0 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Ultimate Before After Image Slider & Gallery – BEAF places #9 on merit, 4.9★ from 107 reviews, but shows at wp.org #18. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Reviews Widgets for Google, TripAdvisor, Yelp & Recommendations 10K+ · 4.9★ (326) wp.org #1 2 HandL UTM Grabber / Tracker 10K+ · 4.8★ (146) wp.org #6 ↑1 4 too low 3 FluentCRM – Email Newsletter, Automation, Email Marketing, Email Campaigns, Optins, Leads, and CRM Solution 80K+ · 4.8★ (250) wp.org #8 ↑3 5 too low 4 Social comments by WpDevArt 7K+ · 4.3★ (42) wp.org #4 5 Advanced Queries 10K+ · 4.9★ (40) wp.org #7 ↑1 2 too low 6 Chatra Live Chat + ChatBot + Cart Saver 2K+ · 5.0★ (12) wp.org #5 ↑1 1 too high 7 WPGraphQL Yoast SEO Addon 10K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #2 5 too high 8 Team Members 20K+ · 4.2★ (53) wp.org #9 1 too low 9 Ultimate Before After Image Slider & Gallery – BEAF 30K+ · 4.9★ (107) wp.org #18 ↓2 9 too low 10 Team Members – Multi Language Supported Team Plugin 6K+ · 5.0★ (85) wp.org #17 7 too low 11 VK All in One Expansion Unit 100K+ · 4.0★ (7) wp.org #3 8 too high 12 Genial Comments 4K+ · 4.8★ (20) wp.org #11 ↓6 1 too high 13 Import Social Events 3K+ · 4.8★ (116) wp.org #20 ↓1 7 too low 14 Easy Social Like Box – Popup – Sidebar Widget 6K+ · 4.4★ (18) wp.org #10 4 too high 15 WP DSGVO Tools (GDPR) 10K+ · 4.0★ (116) wp.org #16 ↓1 1 too low 16 Product Options and Price Calculation Formulas for WooCommerce – Uni CPO 1K+ · 4.6★ (79) wp.org #15 ↓1 1 too high 17 Social Like Box and Page by WpDevArt 5K+ · 4.2★ (88) wp.org #14 ↓1 3 too high 18 Legal Pages – Privacy Policy, Terms & Conditions, GDPR, CCPA, and Cookie Notice Generator 8K+ · 4.3★ (29) wp.org #21 ↑2 3 too low 19 Flexmls® IDX Plugin 1K+ · 3.5★ (22) wp.org #19 ↓1 20 Tag Pilot FREE – Google Tag Manager Integration for WooCommerce 1K+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #13 ↓1 7 too high 21 I Image for Open Graph Meta 300+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #22 ↓1 1 too low 22 Mitsol Social Post Feed 200+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #24 2 too low 23 Auto Sync for FB 40+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #12 ↑8 11 too high 24 S Saitama Addon Pack 1K+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 ↓1 1 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.