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

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 “flower”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 15 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

Autobute – Auto Image Alt Text, Title & Caption for Image SEO shows at wp.org #10 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 200+ 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

eCommerce Product Catalog places #4 on merit, 4.7★ from 270 reviews, but shows at wp.org #18. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Call Now Button – The Free Click to Call Button for WordPress 200K+ · 4.8★ (102) wp.org #2 1 too low 2 Gift Cards (Gift Vouchers and Packages) (WooCommerce Supported) 1K+ · 4.7★ (115) wp.org #11 9 too low 3 WooReer 1K+ · 4.1★ (24) wp.org #6 3 too low 4 eCommerce Product Catalog 7K+ · 4.7★ (270) wp.org #18 ↓2 14 too low 5 Falling Cherry Flower 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #1 4 too high 6 Product Catalog Simple 1K+ · 4.5★ (13) wp.org #7 1 too low 7 wp-forecast 4K+ · 4.2★ (23) wp.org #9 2 too low 8 m1.MiniWeather 300+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #3 5 too high 9 Flexible PDF Coupons – Gift Cards & Vouchers for WooCommerce 2K+ · 4.7★ (31) wp.org #13 4 too low 10 Colibri Page Builder 80K+ · 4.4★ (80) wp.org #22 ↓1 12 too low 11 Obituary Assistant 200+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #12 1 too low 12 HT Slider For Elementor 20K+ · 3.8★ (12) wp.org #17 ↑2 5 too low 13 Smooth Custom Cursor 300+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #4 ↑1 9 too high 14 Abs – Additional block styles 400+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #8 6 too high 15 Falling Things 200+ · 4.0★ (3) wp.org #5 ↓1 10 too high 16 SheetsPilot – AI Spreadsheet Bulk Edit for Posts, WooCommerce Products & SEO 700+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #19 ↓1 3 too low 17 Text Typing – grab attention with animated typing headlines 3K+ · 3.8★ (6) wp.org #16 ↑1 1 too high 18 Shipday Local Delivery for WooCommerce 700+ · 4.2★ (5) wp.org #14 4 too high 19 Under The Weather 60+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #21 ↑1 2 too low 20 FooSales – Point of Sale (POS) for WooCommerce 600+ · 3.2★ (13) wp.org #23 3 too low 21 Autobute – Auto Image Alt Text, Title & Caption for Image SEO 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #10 11 too high 22 Flower Delivery by Florist One 100+ · 3.7★ (3) wp.org #15 7 too high 23 Slotora Delivery Scheduler for WooCommerce 80+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #24 1 too low 24 Init FX Engine – Interactive, Event-Driven, Lightweight 80+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #20 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.