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

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 “frequently”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 of the top 20. 7 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

Frequently Bought Together Product For WooCommerce shows at wp.org #6 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 17 places. Its 70+ 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

Sticky Menu & Sticky Header places #7 on merit, 4.7★ from 763 reviews, but shows at wp.org #16. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322) wp.org #3 2 too low 2 WPC Frequently Bought Together for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.5★ (84) wp.org #2 3 Speed Optimizer – The All-In-One Performance-Boosting Plugin 1M+ · 4.2★ (641) wp.org #4 1 too low 4 WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance 1M+ · 4.8★ (2617) wp.org #10 6 too low 5 WP Fastest Cache – WordPress Cache Plugin 1M+ · 4.9★ (4228) wp.org #11 ↑4 6 too low 6 YITH Frequently Bought Together for WooCommerce 7K+ · 3.1★ (12) wp.org #1 5 too high 7 Sticky Menu & Sticky Header 90K+ · 4.7★ (763) wp.org #16 ↑2 9 too low 8 Upsell Funnel Builder for WooCommerce – Create Upsells, Cross-Sells, Order Bumps, Frequently Bought, and Popups. 2K+ · 4.7★ (116) wp.org #7 1 too high 9 IP Location Block 10K+ · 4.5★ (35) wp.org #8 1 too high 10 WP Job Manager 70K+ · 4.4★ (237) wp.org #15 ↑1 5 too low 11 Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (588) wp.org #19 8 too low 12 Resize Image After Upload 80K+ · 4.8★ (56) wp.org #12 ↓1 13 Shortcoder — Create Shortcodes for Anything 100K+ · 4.9★ (227) wp.org #20 ↑1 7 too low 14 Product Labels, Quick View, Buy Now, Pre-Orders, Frequently Bought Together & More for WooCommerce – Merchant 9K+ · 4.2★ (11) wp.org #5 9 too high 15 WPC Product Bundles for WooCommerce 30K+ · 4.4★ (220) wp.org #13 2 too high 16 UpsellWP – Upsell and Related Products Offers for WooCommerce 5K+ · 4.9★ (149) wp.org #21 ↓1 5 too low 17 Leo Product Recommendations: Upsell Popup, Frequently Bought Together & Cart Drawer for WooCommerce 400+ · 5.0★ (12) wp.org #9 8 too high 18 Product Bundle Builder for WooCommerce 6K+ · 4.8★ (61) wp.org #17 ↑5 1 too high 19 Broken Link Checker 500K+ · 3.8★ (605) wp.org #18 ↓1 1 too high 20 Campos Checkout Brasileiro para WooCommerce 5K+ · 4.9★ (45) wp.org #22 2 too low 21 Heroic Table of Contents 5K+ · 4.7★ (10) wp.org #23 2 too low 22 AlphaListing 600+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #24 ↓5 2 too low 23 Frequently Bought Together Product For WooCommerce 70+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #6 17 too high 24 WCBoost – Products Compare 30K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #14 10 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.