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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “featured content”

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 “featured content”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 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

Essential Content Types shows at wp.org #8 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 15 places. Its 20K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.7★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Export media with selected content (by DKZR) places #12 on merit, 4.5★ from 93 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 Featured Image from URL (FIFU) 60K+ · 4.6★ (264) wp.org #1 2 Pods – Custom Content Types and Fields 100K+ · 4.8★ (418) wp.org #2 3 Quick Featured Images 50K+ · 4.7★ (235) wp.org #3 4 Default Featured Image 50K+ · 4.8★ (69) wp.org #4 ↑1 5 Content Views – Post Grid & Filter (Shortcode, Blocks, Elementor Widgets) 100K+ · 4.8★ (333) wp.org #6 ↓2 1 too low 6 WP Content Copy Protection & No Right Click 100K+ · 4.8★ (1138) wp.org #11 ↓2 5 too low 7 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) wp.org #9 ↑2 2 too low 8 F Featured Image Admin Thumb 20K+ · 4.7★ (40) wp.org #7 ↑1 1 too high 9 Featured Images in RSS for Mailchimp & More 20K+ · 4.3★ (113) wp.org #12 3 too low 10 Featured Image in Content 600+ · 5.0★ (9) wp.org #5 ↑1 5 too high 11 N NS Featured Posts 4K+ · 4.8★ (29) wp.org #10 1 too high 12 Export media with selected content (by DKZR) 40K+ · 4.5★ (93) wp.org #18 ↓2 6 too low 13 Easy Table of Contents 600K+ · 4.4★ (221) wp.org #20 ↓1 7 too low 14 Conditionally display featured image on singular posts and pages 30K+ · 4.8★ (38) wp.org #17 ↑1 3 too low 15 Automatic Featured Images from Videos 6K+ · 4.6★ (36) wp.org #15 16 Add Featured Image Column 3K+ · 4.9★ (13) wp.org #13 3 too high 17 Really Simple Featured Video for Posts, Pages & WooCommerce Products 4K+ · 4.0★ (34) wp.org #14 3 too high 18 Auto Featured Image (Auto Post Thumbnail) 40K+ · 3.8★ (119) wp.org #19 ↑4 1 too low 19 Featured Image Column 2K+ · 4.5★ (12) wp.org #16 ↑1 3 too high 20 Content Egg – Affiliate Product Importer & Price Comparison 10K+ · 3.9★ (56) wp.org #21 ↓1 1 too low 21 WEN Featured Image 3K+ · 4.5★ (10) wp.org #22 ↓1 1 too low 22 Featured Video for WooCommerce 800+ · 5.0★ (9) wp.org #24 2 too low 23 Essential Content Types 20K+ · 3.7★ (3) wp.org #8 ↓1 15 too high 24 SNY Auto Featured Image 1K+ · 4.3★ (12) wp.org #23 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.