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

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 “ghostscript”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 16 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

Block & Optimize PDFs – PDF.dk shows at wp.org #7 but places #14 on merit, a gap of 7 places. Its 30+ 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

Frontend Dashboard places #4 on merit, 4.9★ from 136 reviews, but shows at wp.org #19. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 PDF Ink Lite – Free PDF Watermark & Password Protection 2K+ · 4.6★ (51) wp.org #1 2 Document Gallery 8K+ · 4.8★ (112) wp.org #2 3 Media Library Assistant 70K+ · 4.8★ (202) wp.org #15 ↓4 12 too low 4 Frontend Dashboard 500+ · 4.9★ (136) wp.org #19 15 too low 5 Rapls PDF Image Creator – PDF Thumbnails & Featured Images 100+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #3 ↓1 2 too high 6 Foyer – Digital Signage for WordPress 1K+ · 4.9★ (27) wp.org #18 ↓4 12 too low 7 CatFolders Document Gallery & PDF Library 3K+ · 4.5★ (15) wp.org #12 ↓2 5 too low 8 Download List Block with Icons 400+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #14 6 too low 9 PDF Password Protect 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #4 ↓1 5 too high 10 PDF-Preview inside File-Block 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #5 ↑1 5 too high 11 Watermark PDF for WordPress and WooCommerce 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #6 ↓2 5 too high 12 TSO Image Master — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #8 ↓1 4 too high 13 Demfilz Flipbook — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #9 4 too high 14 Block & Optimize PDFs – PDF.dk 30+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #7 ↓2 7 too high 15 MaxtDesign PDF Viewer — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #10 ↓2 5 too high 16 Nimblura Image Optimizer for WebP — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #11 ↓2 5 too high 17 Flavors Media OS – Media Folders, Image Optimizer & Cleanup — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #13 4 too high 18 SMSA Shipping (official) 300+ · 3.0★ (6) wp.org #16 ↓4 2 too high 19 P PDF Thumbnails Support Test 300+ · 3.4★ (5) wp.org #24 ↓6 5 too low 20 NinjaWeb Widgets – PDF Card — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 ↓5 1 too low 21 SK ePaper Manager 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #17 ↓4 4 too high 22 Georg Kloster – Orthodox Donations — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 23 DFX Parish Retreat Letters — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 ↓6 24 Henkan – WebP & AVIF Converter 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #20 ↓5 4 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.