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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “flash clock”

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 “flash clock”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 7 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.

L

Ranked above its merit

Live Clock Widget shows at wp.org #1 but places #6 on merit, a gap of 5 places. Its 90+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

WPeMatico RSS Feed Fetcher places #4 on merit, 4.8★ from 514 reviews, but shows at wp.org #10. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 HurryTimer – An Scarcity and Urgency Countdown Timer for WordPress & WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.8★ (170) wp.org #2 1 too low 2 Finale Lite – Sales Countdown Timer & Discount for WooCommerce 3K+ · 4.7★ (151) wp.org #5 ↓1 3 too low 3 Countix Sales Countdown Timer 5K+ · 4.4★ (26) wp.org #3 ↓1 4 WPeMatico RSS Feed Fetcher 10K+ · 4.8★ (514) wp.org #10 ↓1 6 too low 5 CoolClock 1K+ · 4.7★ (15) wp.org #4 ↓1 1 too high 6 L Live Clock Widget 90+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #1 5 too high 7 WPC Product Timer for WooCommerce 2K+ · 4.8★ (24) wp.org #8 ↓1 1 too low 8 WPC Product Options for WooCommerce 4K+ · 4.1★ (10) wp.org #6 ↓1 2 too high 9 Smart Cycle Discounts – AI Dynamic Pricing & Scheduled Sales for WooCommerce 20+ · 4.9★ (10) wp.org #18 ↓1 9 too low 10 Local Time Clock 1K+ · 3.1★ (10) wp.org #7 ↓1 3 too high 11 StoreBuild – Online Store Builder for WooCommerce 500+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #9 ↓1 2 too high 12 Tab Teaser — · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #14 ↓1 2 too low 13 YooBar – Notification Bar & Announcement Bar 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #11 ↓1 2 too high 14 Onyx Dark Mode Switcher 300+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #12 ↓1 2 too high 15 aGo AI Chatbot, AI Chat Widget with Knowledge Base 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #16 ↓1 1 too low 16 Smart Content Scheduler – Schedule Content by Date, Time & Roles — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #13 ↓1 3 too high 17 Murls Smart Popups 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 ↓3 18 YS LeadGen – Popup Builder, Contact Form Builder, Exit Intent, Optin Forms & Lead Generation 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #15 3 too high 19 BookWellNow – Appointment Booking 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 ↓2 1 too low 20 C ChronoPress Countdown Block 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 ↓3 3 too low 21 Mawu Dark Mode for the Admin Dashboard, Editor & Website 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #19 2 too high 22 SpamAnvil – AI Anti-Spam & Comment Spam Protection 20+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #21 ↓5 1 too high 23 Firevert – Countdown timer, copy coupons, urgency widgets for WooCommerce 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #24 ↓3 1 too low 24 World Clock 100+ · 1.7★ (3) wp.org #22 ↓3 2 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.