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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “fun facts”

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 “fun facts”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 of the top 20. 3 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

HT Politic – For Political WordPress Themes / Website shows at wp.org #13 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 200+ installs carry it up the search order; its 1.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Gutenverse – WordPress Blocks, Page Builder & Site Editor places #7 on merit, 4.9★ from 190 reviews, but shows at wp.org #20. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Starter Templates: AI-Powered Website Templates for Elementor & Gutenberg 1M+ · 4.9★ (4748) wp.org #1 2 ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2043) wp.org #2 3 Counter Number Showcase, Fun Facts – WordPress Animated Counter Plugin 10K+ · 4.6★ (190) wp.org #3 4 Ninja Tables – Easy Data Table Builder 70K+ · 4.6★ (472) wp.org #9 ↑1 5 too low 5 Jeg Kit for Elementor – Powerful Addons for Elementor, Widgets & Templates for WordPress 300K+ · 3.8★ (78) wp.org #4 1 too high 6 Chartify – WordPress Chart Plugin 3K+ · 4.9★ (27) wp.org #8 2 too low 7 Gutenverse – WordPress Blocks, Page Builder & Site Editor 20K+ · 4.9★ (190) wp.org #20 13 too low 8 Move Addons for Elementor 2K+ · 4.0★ (6) wp.org #6 ↑1 2 too high 9 Evergreen Content Poster – Auto Post and Schedule Your Best Content to Social Media 90+ · 4.1★ (13) wp.org #12 3 too low 10 Zyre Elementor Addons 30+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #11 1 too low 11 QuickShare 200+ · 4.7★ (12) wp.org #23 ↓1 12 too low 12 Pixel Gallery 4K+ · 4.8★ (5) wp.org #16 4 too low 13 I don't like Spam! 200+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #7 ↓1 6 too high 14 Ultra Addons Lite for Elementor 700+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #5 9 too high 15 Absolute Addons For Elementor 400+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #24 9 too low 16 Customify 10K+ · 3.8★ (9) wp.org #22 ↑1 6 too low 17 Be POPIA Compliant 100+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #15 2 too high 18 S Slodds Random Facts — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #10 ↓1 8 too high 19 Blockive – Premium Addon For Block — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 2 too high 20 Sifency Addons — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #18 2 too high 21 AnimFolio – Animated Portfolio & Resume Builder — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #19 2 too high 22 Olark Live Chat 1K+ · 2.5★ (2) wp.org #14 8 too high 23 Refoundry Blocks — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #21 2 too high 24 HT Politic – For Political WordPress Themes / Website 200+ · 1.0★ (1) wp.org #13 11 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.