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← Rankings

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

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 “floor”, we agree with wp.org 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

Cost Calculator for Elementor shows at wp.org #10 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 500+ 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

PDF Embedder – PDF Viewer & Embed PDF Files for WordPress places #9 on merit, 4.7★ from 529 reviews, but shows at wp.org #19. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8706) wp.org #1 2 Interactive Image Map Plugin – Draw Attention 20K+ · 4.9★ (114) wp.org #2 3 WPVR – 360 Panorama viewer and Virtual Tour Builder for WordPress 10K+ · 4.7★ (133) wp.org #4 ↓2 1 too low 4 Waymark 900+ · 5.0★ (54) wp.org #9 ↓6 5 too low 5 Interactive Real Estate – Floor Plan & Building Visualizer 30+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #3 ↑2 2 too high 6 MapSVG – Vector maps, Image maps, Google Maps 1K+ · 4.5★ (31) wp.org #7 ↑1 1 too low 7 SEO WRITING – AI Writer for SEO & AI Search 20K+ · 4.9★ (120) wp.org #15 ↓1 8 too low 8 Vision – Interactive Image Map with Hotspots Builder 2K+ · 4.9★ (9) wp.org #5 3 too high 9 PDF Embedder – PDF Viewer & Embed PDF Files for WordPress 300K+ · 4.7★ (529) wp.org #19 ↓1 10 too low 10 Interactive Image Map Builder 1K+ · 5.0★ (17) wp.org #11 ↑1 1 too low 11 Live Event Seating Lite – Seating Chart, Floor Plan, RSVP & Event Ticket 40+ · 5.0★ (12) wp.org #12 ↑4 1 too low 12 Calculation for contact form 7 1K+ · 4.5★ (22) wp.org #16 ↓1 4 too low 13 Cost Calculator for Contact Form 7 – Price Calculator Free 5K+ · 3.8★ (15) wp.org #6 ↑1 7 too high 14 Alex Reservations – Restaurant Reservations, Tables & White-Label Booking System 200+ · 4.9★ (28) wp.org #24 ↓3 10 too low 15 T4B News Ticker – Responsive News Scroller, Slider, and Animations 7K+ · 4.5★ (16) wp.org #18 ↓1 3 too low 16 ImageLinks – Interactive Image Builder with Hotspots 1K+ · 3.9★ (9) wp.org #8 ↑1 8 too high 17 Bangla Web Fonts 2K+ · 4.8★ (6) wp.org #13 ↓1 4 too high 18 Salat Times 500+ · 4.8★ (9) wp.org #20 ↓1 2 too low 19 HappyVR – Virtual Tour Builder & 360 Panorama Viewer 70+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #14 5 too high 20 Cost Calculator for Elementor 500+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #10 ↓1 10 too high 21 PicPoints – Interactive Image Map & Hotspot Builder 70+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #22 1 too low 22 Rara One Click Demo Import 20K+ · 2.7★ (7) wp.org #17 ↓1 5 too high 23 Rent Fetch 70+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #21 ↓1 2 too high 24 WP All Import – Property Import for RealHomes 700+ · 4.0★ (2) wp.org #23 ↓1 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.