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

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 “fragments”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 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

Clear Cache Everywhere shows at wp.org #9 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 1K+ 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

GAinWP Google Analytics Integration for WP places #10 on merit, 4.8★ from 126 reviews, but shows at wp.org #21. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 W3 Total Cache 900K+ · 4.4★ (5420) wp.org #1 2 Say What? 40K+ · 4.3★ (92) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 Disable Bloat for WordPress & WooCommerce – Speed Up & Clean Up Admin 10K+ · 4.8★ (100) wp.org #4 ↑12 1 too low 4 Disable Cart Fragments by Optimocha 10K+ · 4.9★ (16) wp.org #2 2 too high 5 Easy Table of Contents 600K+ · 4.4★ (221) wp.org #6 ↓1 1 too low 6 Featherweight 10K+ · 4.1★ (45) wp.org #7 ↓1 1 too low 7 Unbloater 5K+ · 5.0★ (17) wp.org #8 ↓1 1 too low 8 Foyer – Digital Signage for WordPress 1K+ · 4.9★ (27) wp.org #11 ↓1 3 too low 9 WPMasterToolKit (WPMTK) – All in one plugin 5K+ · 5.0★ (28) wp.org #14 5 too low 10 GAinWP Google Analytics Integration for WP 7K+ · 4.8★ (126) wp.org #21 ↓10 11 too low 11 SpeedyCache – Cache, Optimization, Performance 500K+ · 4.4★ (30) wp.org #12 ↑1 1 too low 12 Ajaxified Cart 300+ · 4.8★ (13) wp.org #13 ↓1 1 too low 13 Block Emails & Addresses for WooCommerce Checkout 700+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #10 ↓1 3 too high 14 D Display custom fields in the frontend – Post and User Profile Fields 500+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #17 ↑1 3 too low 15 Automatic Translator with Google Translate 2K+ · 4.4★ (11) wp.org #19 ↑1 4 too low 16 Enable Cart Fragments 30+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #5 ↓1 11 too high 17 Smart LazyLoad – Lazy Load Images, Videos and Iframes 400+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #20 ↑1 3 too low 18 WHA Puzzle 200+ · 3.4★ (8) wp.org #16 ↑1 2 too high 19 Perform – Optimize Performance 200+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #15 4 too high 20 E Enhanced User Search 100+ · 4.0★ (4) wp.org #22 2 too low 21 Disable CSS JS Cache 400+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #18 ↑1 3 too high 22 Clear Cache Everywhere 1K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #9 ↓1 13 too high 23 WebSync Checkout for Elementor 50+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #24 ↓1 1 too low 24 Sifalo Pay 60+ · 5.0★ (1) 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.