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

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 “figure”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 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

Embed Optimizer shows at wp.org #15 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 50K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2143) wp.org #1 2 All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720) wp.org #2 ↑1 3 ManageWP Worker 1M+ · 4.6★ (679) wp.org #4 1 too low 4 Custom Sidebars – Dynamic Sidebar Classic Widget Area Manager 100K+ · 4.7★ (1028) wp.org #6 ↑1 2 too low 5 Meta Field Block – Display Custom Fields for ACF, Meta Box and More 10K+ · 5.0★ (57) wp.org #3 ↓1 2 too high 6 Premium Addons for Elementor – AI-Ready Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates 600K+ · 4.9★ (1680) wp.org #9 ↑4 3 too low 7 Easy Google Maps by Supsystic – Custom Markers, Clustering & Map Themes 20K+ · 4.6★ (251) wp.org #8 ↑1 1 too low 8 WP-UserOnline 10K+ · 4.6★ (38) wp.org #5 3 too high 9 Wholesale Suite – B2B, Dynamic Pricing & WooCommerce Wholesale Prices 20K+ · 4.8★ (546) wp.org #10 ↓2 1 too low 10 Document Embedder – let visitors read files without downloading 9K+ · 4.9★ (120) wp.org #12 ↓1 2 too low 11 OneSignal – Web Push Notifications 60K+ · 4.3★ (360) wp.org #14 ↓2 3 too low 12 WP-ServerInfo 10K+ · 4.8★ (17) wp.org #7 ↓1 5 too high 13 Installment Prices for WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.9★ (11) wp.org #11 ↓1 2 too high 14 PDF Poster – Let visitors read PDF’s without leaving the page 20K+ · 4.5★ (149) wp.org #22 ↓5 8 too low 15 Event Booking Manager for WooCommerce – Sell Tickets, Event Registration, RSVP & Event Calendar 7K+ · 4.5★ (167) wp.org #21 6 too low 16 Counters Block – Animated Number Counters, Stats & Dynamic KPIs 3K+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #13 3 too high 17 ThinkRank SEO – AI SEO Plugin for SEO & Google Search Console 20K+ · 4.9★ (36) wp.org #24 7 too low 18 Pay with Vipps and MobilePay for WooCommerce 5K+ · 4.8★ (13) wp.org #16 ↓1 2 too high 19 Visibility – Lightweight SEO, AEO and GEO for Search and AI 600+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #17 ↑1 2 too high 20 E Exchange Rates Today 400+ · 4.9★ (9) wp.org #23 ↓1 3 too low 21 Colored Admin Post List 400+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #20 1 too high 22 Property Hive Rental Yield Calculator 400+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #19 3 too high 23 Embed Optimizer 50K+ · 3.0★ (2) wp.org #15 ↓1 8 too high 24 WP Adsterra Dashboard 400+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #18 ↓2 6 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.