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← Rankings

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

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 “foursquare”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 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.

Ranked above its merit

Widgets for Foursquare Reviews shows at wp.org #1 but places #9 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 10+ installs carry it up the search order; its 0.0★ average from 0 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

OAuth Single Sign On – SSO (OAuth Client) places #8 on merit, 4.9★ from 327 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 Social Media Feather 10K+ · 4.6★ (506) wp.org #3 ↑1 2 too low 2 Login Widget With Shortcode 5K+ · 3.8★ (29) wp.org #2 ↑1 3 Widgets for Airbnb Reviews 6K+ · 4.6★ (60) wp.org #4 ↑4 1 too low 4 Widgets for Booking.com Reviews 9K+ · 4.9★ (65) wp.org #6 ↑1 2 too low 5 Customer Reviews Collector for WooCommerce 5K+ · 4.7★ (24) wp.org #5 6 WP Tripadvisor Review Widgets 20K+ · 4.1★ (116) wp.org #8 ↑1 2 too low 7 Widgets for Reviews & Recommendations 8K+ · 4.6★ (98) wp.org #9 ↑1 2 too low 8 OAuth Single Sign On – SSO (OAuth Client) 6K+ · 4.9★ (327) wp.org #19 ↓3 11 too low 9 Widgets for Foursquare Reviews 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #1 ↑1 8 too high 10 Social Login, Social Sharing by miniOrange 10K+ · 4.6★ (356) wp.org #18 8 too low 11 IndieWeb 600+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #7 ↓1 4 too high 12 Widgets for Amazon Reviews 2K+ · 4.0★ (45) wp.org #14 2 too low 13 Listdom: AI-powered Business Directory with Classifieds Ads Listings 1K+ · 4.9★ (60) wp.org #24 11 too low 14 WP Social Widget 4K+ · 4.7★ (11) wp.org #17 3 too low 15 Widgets for Yelp Reviews 3K+ · 3.8★ (10) wp.org #12 ↑1 3 too high 16 Simple Location 300+ · 4.6★ (8) wp.org #13 3 too high 17 Superb Social Media Share Buttons and Follow Buttons 6K+ · 4.4★ (11) wp.org #23 ↑1 6 too low 18 Widgets for Thumbtack Reviews 900+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #10 ↑1 8 too high 19 Socicon 200+ · 4.0★ (4) wp.org #11 ↑1 8 too high 20 Widgets for Ebay Reviews 500+ · 4.2★ (5) wp.org #15 5 too high 21 Widgets for Expedia Reviews 100+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #20 ↓1 1 too high 22 Widgets for Capterra Reviews 100+ · 4.3★ (4) wp.org #21 ↓1 1 too high 23 Widgets for Zillow Reviews 200+ · 3.0★ (4) wp.org #16 ↑5 7 too high 24 Widgets for Opentable Reviews 50+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 2 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.