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← Rankings

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

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 “forking”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 7 of the top 20. 2 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.

A

Ranked above its merit

Alphabetical Pagination shows at wp.org #16 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 30+ installs carry it up the search order; its 2.3★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Contextual Related Posts places #2 on merit, 4.8★ from 201 reviews, but shows at wp.org #7. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Say What? 40K+ · 4.3★ (92) wp.org #1 ↑1 2 Contextual Related Posts 50K+ · 4.8★ (201) wp.org #7 5 too low 3 M Multi Device Switcher 10K+ · 4.3★ (11) wp.org #2 ↓1 1 too high 4 C Custom Post Type Widgets 10K+ · 4.8★ (14) wp.org #3 1 too high 5 Better Search – Relevant search results for WordPress 5K+ · 4.4★ (61) wp.org #6 1 too low 6 W WP Auto Updater 7K+ · 4.6★ (10) wp.org #4 2 too high 7 EU Withdrawal and Legal Guarantee Compliance 1K+ · 5.0★ (17) wp.org #8 1 too low 8 Scry Search: Meilisearch for WordPress 40+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #15 ↑2 7 too low 9 E Editor Bridge 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #5 4 too high 10 FileDeck – Document Library, Download Manager & Client Portal 100+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #21 ↓1 11 too low 11 Conformitico Recesso 54-bis for WooCommerce 50+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #13 2 too low 12 LMSCrafter Gradient Text for Elementor 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #10 2 too high 13 B Back to the Top 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #11 2 too high 14 Analytics Head 600+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #9 5 too high 15 C Custom Post Type Widget Blocks 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #12 3 too high 16 Popular Authors 10+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #17 ↓2 1 too low 17 GT Table Block 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #18 ↓2 1 too low 18 Domain Search for WHMCS 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #14 4 too high 19 W WP Is Mobile Text Widget 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 ↓1 3 too low 20 PeproDev Ultimate Profile Solutions 70+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 3 too low 21 WebberZone Link Warnings 20+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #19 ↑3 2 too high 22 HEXAM — Quiz & Exam Builder 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #20 ↓1 2 too high 23 HTML Forms & Contact Form for WordPress: Narrative Forms 30+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #24 1 too low 24 A Alphabetical Pagination 30+ · 2.3★ (3) wp.org #16 ↑2 8 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.