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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “gain map”

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

Block for Apple Maps shows at wp.org #3 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 16 places. Its 1K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Weight Based Shipping Table Rate for WooCommerce – Flexible Shipping places #10 on merit, 4.9★ from 706 reviews, but shows at wp.org #17. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Popup Builder – Create highly converting, mobile friendly marketing popups. 200K+ · 4.7★ (2215) wp.org #4 3 too low 2 W3 Total Cache 900K+ · 4.4★ (5420) wp.org #6 4 too low 3 WP Map Block – Google Maps, OpenStreetMap, Mapbox, Store & Shop Locator, Directory, Listings & Filters 20K+ · 4.0★ (20) wp.org #2 1 too high 4 Otter Blocks – Gutenberg Blocks, Page Builder for Gutenberg Editor & FSE 300K+ · 4.7★ (251) wp.org #5 1 too low 5 Royal Addons for Elementor – Addons and Templates Kit for Elementor 600K+ · 4.8★ (612) wp.org #8 3 too low 6 GPX Route Map 100+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #1 5 too high 7 Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408) wp.org #7 8 Directorist: AI-Powered Business Directory, Listings & Classified Ads 20K+ · 4.6★ (698) wp.org #9 1 too low 9 WP RSS Aggregator – RSS Import, Feed to Post, Autoblogging, AI Content 40K+ · 4.5★ (565) wp.org #11 2 too low 10 Weight Based Shipping Table Rate for WooCommerce – Flexible Shipping 100K+ · 4.9★ (706) wp.org #17 ↑1 7 too low 11 NotificationX – FOMO, Live Sales Notification, WooCommerce Sales Popup, GDPR, Social Proof, Announcement Banner & Floating Notification Bar 30K+ · 4.8★ (228) wp.org #16 ↑1 5 too low 12 Bricksable for Bricks Builder 10K+ · 5.0★ (61) wp.org #13 1 too low 13 Visitor Traffic Real Time Statistics 30K+ · 4.1★ (233) wp.org #14 ↑1 1 too low 14 FluentCRM – Email Newsletter, Automation, Email Marketing, Email Campaigns, Optins, Leads, and CRM Solution 80K+ · 4.8★ (250) wp.org #20 ↑2 6 too low 15 Sucuri Security – Auditing, Malware Scanner and Security Hardening 600K+ · 4.2★ (386) wp.org #10 5 too high 16 Advanced IP Blocker 3K+ · 4.9★ (27) wp.org #12 4 too high 17 WP Travel Engine – Tour Booking Plugin – Tour Operator Software 20K+ · 4.9★ (594) wp.org #24 7 too low 18 Simple 301 Redirects by BetterLinks – Easy Redirect Manager 100K+ · 3.8★ (162) wp.org #18 ↑1 19 Block for Apple Maps 1K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #3 16 too high 20 Zero Spam for WordPress 20K+ · 4.1★ (143) wp.org #21 1 too low 21 Mollie Payments for WooCommerce 100K+ · 3.6★ (69) wp.org #19 ↑1 2 too high 22 CubeWP Framework 3K+ · 4.8★ (12) wp.org #23 ↑1 1 too low 23 GPX Viewer 900+ · 3.8★ (8) wp.org #15 ↑1 8 too high 24 Flux Media Optimizer – Image & Video Optimization by Flux Plugins 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #22 ↑1 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.