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

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 “filed”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 of the top 20. 3 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

Advanced Datepicker – Restricts Date for WPForms shows at wp.org #8 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 300+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Product Table for WooCommerce places #8 on merit, 4.8★ from 295 reviews, but shows at wp.org #20. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Genesis Simple Hooks 20K+ · 4.6★ (22) wp.org #3 2 too low 2 A Add Password Field for Contact Form 7 3K+ · 4.6★ (5) wp.org #1 1 too high 3 WP-ShowHide 9K+ · 4.2★ (43) wp.org #5 2 too low 4 No Category Parents 6K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #2 2 too high 5 AJAX Login and Registration modal popup + inline form 3K+ · 4.7★ (120) wp.org #13 8 too low 6 Album Gallery for Flickr 4K+ · 3.9★ (86) wp.org #9 3 too low 7 C Custom Upload Dir 5K+ · 4.4★ (25) wp.org #10 ↑1 3 too low 8 Product Table for WooCommerce 5K+ · 4.8★ (295) wp.org #20 12 too low 9 FileDeck – Document Library & Download Manager 100+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #6 ↑1 3 too high 10 PickPlugins Pricing Table 900+ · 5.0★ (20) wp.org #12 2 too low 11 Vietnam Checkout for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.7★ (14) wp.org #16 5 too low 12 Cloud Storage Manager for Fluent Forms – Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, S3 Uploads 400+ · 5.0★ (9) wp.org #14 2 too low 13 Advanced Datepicker – Restricts Date for Contact Form 7 500+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #4 9 too high 14 Contact Forms by Cimatti 700+ · 4.4★ (16) wp.org #18 4 too low 15 JS Help Desk – AI-Powered Support & Ticketing System 7K+ · 3.7★ (74) wp.org #24 ↓2 9 too low 16 Revision Manager TMC 1K+ · 4.9★ (10) wp.org #17 1 too low 17 Route ‑ Shipping Protection 500+ · 4.3★ (24) wp.org #15 2 too high 18 Advanced Datepicker – Restrict Date for Elementor Forms 800+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #7 ↓1 11 too high 19 Remove Website URL Field From Comment Form 200+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #11 ↓1 8 too high 20 Advanced Datepicker – Restricts Date for WPForms 300+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #8 12 too high 21 SKT Themes Demo Import 4K+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 ↓1 1 too low 22 Oscar AI 60+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 1 too low 23 JDITC Add Wordfence 2FA to Ultimate Member 20+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #21 ↑2 2 too high 24 Envo's Templates & Widgets for Elementor and WooCommerce 9K+ · 1.0★ (1) wp.org #19 5 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.