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

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 “fiction”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 of the top 20. 2 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

Scheduled Posts Showcase shows at wp.org #7 but places #12 on merit, a gap of 5 places. Its 30+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Books Gallery – Book Showcase, Library & Affiliate Plugin 2K+ · 4.8★ (92) wp.org #2 1 too low 2 B Book Review Library 200+ · 4.8★ (16) wp.org #1 1 too high 3 Library Management System 200+ · 4.4★ (14) wp.org #5 2 too low 4 Repeater2Template Widget for ACF Repeater and Elementor 100+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #4 5 FICTBASE 40+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #3 2 too high 6 Book Review 300+ · 4.9★ (17) wp.org #15 9 too low 7 R Remove Taxonomy Base Slug 4K+ · 4.8★ (23) wp.org #18 11 too low 8 SFR Book Review Showcase 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #6 2 too high 9 W Word Stats 100+ · 4.4★ (10) wp.org #19 10 too low 10 Hello HAL 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #8 2 too high 11 Hamazon 80+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #13 2 too low 12 Scheduled Posts Showcase 30+ · 4.0★ (1) wp.org #7 5 too high 13 Hello Hollywood 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #9 4 too high 14 P PenBinder — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #10 4 too high 15 Opace AI Content Checker & Detector — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #11 4 too high 16 Orbem Studio — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #12 4 too high 17 Sunray Author Manager 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #14 3 too high 18 JKL Unit Converter 80+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 1 too high 19 S Stories Post Type 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 1 too low 20 Advanced Dates 40+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #16 4 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.