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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “folder share”

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 “folder share”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 of the top 20.

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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.

Ranked above its merit

Share Link shows at wp.org #7 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 16 places. Its 100+ 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

Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) places #8 on merit, 4.9★ from 8869 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 Genesis Simple Share 10K+ · 4.4★ (33) wp.org #1 2 Media Library Folders 10K+ · 4.3★ (465) wp.org #4 ↓1 2 too low 3 Social Share Buttons 1K+ · 4.8★ (28) wp.org #2 1 too high 4 Share Buttons & AI-powered Summaries 1K+ · 5.0★ (16) wp.org #3 ↑1 1 too high 5 Simple Social Media Share Buttons – Social Sharing for Everyone 20K+ · 4.8★ (194) wp.org #9 ↑1 4 too low 6 Buttonizer – Social Media Share Buttons, Social Icons, & Social Feeds 40K+ · 4.8★ (396) wp.org #13 ↑1 7 too low 7 File Manager 1M+ · 4.6★ (1492) wp.org #12 5 too low 8 Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) 3M+ · 4.9★ (8869) wp.org #19 11 too low 9 Highlight and Share – Unobtrusive and Lightweight Content Sharing 700+ · 4.9★ (29) wp.org #8 1 too high 10 Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132) wp.org #18 ↓1 8 too low 11 OG — Better Share on Social Media 20K+ · 4.8★ (216) wp.org #16 5 too low 12 Cresta Social Share Counter 2K+ · 4.8★ (55) wp.org #10 ↓1 2 too high 13 Social Share Button 1K+ · 4.1★ (17) wp.org #5 8 too high 14 Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408) wp.org #14 ↓1 15 WPZOOM Connect: Social Icons Widget & Block, Share Buttons & Click to Chat 90K+ · 4.9★ (144) wp.org #17 ↑1 2 too low 16 SchedulePress – Auto Post & Publish, Auto Social Share, Schedule Posts with Editorial Calendar & Missed Schedule Post Publisher 10K+ · 4.6★ (201) wp.org #20 4 too low 17 WP Super Cache 1M+ · 4.3★ (1346) wp.org #21 4 too low 18 Social Sharing Plugin – Kiwi 4K+ · 4.1★ (18) wp.org #15 3 too high 19 Social Share Block – Help Visitors Spread Your Content Everywhere 2K+ · 4.3★ (3) wp.org #6 13 too high 20 Share Cart for WooCommerce 300+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #11 9 too high 21 Good old Share 60+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #24 3 too low 22 Hostinger Reach – AI-Powered Email Marketing for WordPress 1M+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #22 23 Share Link 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #7 16 too high 24 Virtual Media Folders 300+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #23 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.