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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “focus mode”

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

Ranked above its merit

WP Maintenance Mode & Site Under Construction shows at wp.org #8 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 14 places. Its 3K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.5★ average from 4 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

CookieYes – Cookie Banner for Cookie Consent (Easy to setup GDPR/CCPA Compliant Cookie Notice) places #9 on merit, 4.8★ from 3236 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 Dark Mode for WP Dashboard 3K+ · 4.8★ (34) wp.org #2 ↓1 1 too low 2 Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ · 4.7★ (1667) wp.org #4 2 too low 3 Under Construction, Coming Soon & Maintenance Mode 10K+ · 4.6★ (46) wp.org #3 4 WP ULike – Like Buttons, Voting & Engagement Analytics 60K+ · 4.8★ (283) wp.org #7 ↓1 3 too low 5 Darkify – Dark Mode & Night Mode for Website & Admin (Dark Theme Included) 1K+ · 4.7★ (27) wp.org #5 ↑4 6 The SEO Framework – Fast, Automated, Effortless. 200K+ · 4.9★ (380) wp.org #10 ↑5 4 too low 7 Auto Focus Keyword for SEO 2K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #1 ↑1 6 too high 8 The Events Calendar 600K+ · 4.2★ (2461) wp.org #16 ↑1 8 too low 9 CookieYes – Cookie Banner for Cookie Consent (Easy to setup GDPR/CCPA Compliant Cookie Notice) 1M+ · 4.8★ (3236) wp.org #18 9 too low 10 Robo Gallery – Photo & Image Slider 40K+ · 4.3★ (406) wp.org #15 ↑3 5 too low 11 Tutor LMS – eLearning and online course solution 100K+ · 4.4★ (590) wp.org #14 ↓2 3 too low 12 Darklup – Enhanced WordPress Dark Mode, Dark Theme, Night Mode & Accessibility Plugin 1K+ · 4.5★ (44) wp.org #6 ↓1 6 too high 13 OpenStation – Admin Dashboard Notes, Custom Dashboard, AI Assistant & PWA 1K+ · 5.0★ (23) wp.org #9 ↑1 4 too high 14 DearFlip – PDF Flipbook, 3D Flipbook, PDF embed, PDF viewer 200K+ · 4.9★ (194) wp.org #23 ↓3 9 too low 15 Coming Soon & Maintenance Mode by Colorlib 5K+ · 4.7★ (42) wp.org #11 ↑2 4 too high 16 SOOZ – AI for SEO – Bulk Generate Focus Keyphrases, Metadata, Alt Text (SEO Autopilot) 2K+ · 4.7★ (15) wp.org #12 ↑4 4 too high 17 HUSKY – Products Filter for WooCommerce Professional. MCP is onboard 80K+ · 4.6★ (337) wp.org #22 5 too low 18 Sucuri Security – Auditing, Malware Scanner and Security Hardening 600K+ · 4.2★ (386) wp.org #21 ↑2 3 too low 19 Create 6K+ · 4.3★ (25) wp.org #20 1 too low 20 Easy MCP AI – Connect Claude to WordPress: MCP Server for ChatGPT & AI Agents 30K+ · 4.9★ (16) wp.org #24 4 too low 21 PowerPack for LearnDash 1K+ · 4.8★ (5) wp.org #17 ↑2 4 too high 22 WP Maintenance Mode & Site Under Construction 3K+ · 3.5★ (4) wp.org #8 14 too high 23 Custom Recovery Mode Email 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #13 ↑1 10 too high 24 Developer Debug Mode 50+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #19 ↑2 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.