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← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “g+”

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 “g+”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 of the top 20. 1 plugin is 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

G-Live CMS shows at wp.org #5 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 16 places. Its 100+ 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

Post SMTP – Complete Email Delivery and SMTP Solution with Email Logs, Alerts, Backup SMTP & Mobile App places #8 on merit, 4.7★ from 528 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 Ultimate Member – User Profile, Registration, Login, Member Directory, Content Restriction & Membership Plugin 200K+ · 4.4★ (1445) wp.org #3 2 too low 2 WP Mail SMTP by WPForms – SMTP for Reliable Email Delivery with Gmail, Outlook, Amazon SES, Brevo, Other SMTP & More 4M+ · 4.8★ (5209) wp.org #6 4 too low 3 All-in-One WP Migration and Backup 5M+ · 4.5★ (7676) wp.org #7 4 too low 4 Reviews and Rating – Google Reviews 20K+ · 4.9★ (184) wp.org #4 5 g-FFL Checkout 600+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #1 4 too high 6 External Links in New Window / New Tab 30K+ · 4.5★ (77) wp.org #8 2 too low 7 Login for Google Apps by WPAuth 10K+ · 4.6★ (64) wp.org #9 2 too low 8 Post SMTP – Complete Email Delivery and SMTP Solution with Email Logs, Alerts, Backup SMTP & Mobile App 300K+ · 4.7★ (528) wp.org #16 8 too low 9 Bulk Delete 30K+ · 4.3★ (129) wp.org #17 8 too low 10 Tablesome Table – Contact Form DB – WPForms, CF7, Gravity, Forminator, Fluent 7K+ · 4.8★ (89) wp.org #11 1 too low 11 g-FFL Cockpit 500+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #2 9 too high 12 NextScripts: Social Networks Auto-Poster 20K+ · 3.3★ (617) wp.org #14 2 too low 13 Easy Social Like Box – Popup – Sidebar Widget 6K+ · 4.4★ (18) wp.org #13 14 Catch Gallery 10K+ · 4.0★ (16) wp.org #12 2 too high 15 ACF Frontend Admin by DynamiApps 8K+ · 4.5★ (160) wp.org #24 9 too low 16 FAZ Cookie Manager 3K+ · 5.0★ (30) wp.org #23 7 too low 17 B BuddyPress Docs 6K+ · 4.4★ (35) wp.org #19 2 too low 18 Gold Price Based on Weight 300+ · 5.0★ (9) wp.org #15 3 too high 19 Simple Google Calendar Outlook Events Widget 1K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #18 1 too high 20 PDF Forms Filler for CF7 3K+ · 4.8★ (13) wp.org #22 2 too low 21 G-Live CMS 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #5 16 too high 22 Arianne G Esotools 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #10 12 too high 23 Analytics Tracker 1K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #20 3 too high 24 Mailster Google Analytics 800+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #21 3 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.