Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “git branch”

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 “git branch”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 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

My Account Menu Builder for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #7 but places #17 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 80+ 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

Oliver POS – WooCommerce POS for iPhone, iPad & Android places #7 on merit, 4.2★ from 90 reviews, but shows at wp.org #14. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Deployer for Git 600+ · 5.0★ (12) wp.org #1 2 Git it Write – Write posts from GitHub 100+ · 4.7★ (7) wp.org #2 3 C Custom Post Type Widgets 10K+ · 4.8★ (14) wp.org #4 1 too low 4 M Multi Device Switcher 10K+ · 4.3★ (11) wp.org #3 1 too high 5 Gitium 400+ · 4.1★ (10) wp.org #6 1 too low 6 L Local Development 90+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #5 1 too high 7 Oliver POS – WooCommerce POS for iPhone, iPad & Android 700+ · 4.2★ (90) wp.org #14 7 too low 8 Responsive Navigation Block 1K+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #8 9 Plugins Page Tweaker 60+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #16 ↓1 7 too low 10 QA Assistant — · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #10 11 Peak Publisher 10+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #20 9 too low 12 B Back to the Top 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #9 3 too high 13 CMS ADMINS Security Check Report 400+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #15 ↑1 2 too low 14 C Custom Post Type Widget Blocks 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #11 3 too high 15 Content Version for Git — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #12 3 too high 16 WP Branches For Post 40+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #13 3 too high 17 My Account Menu Builder for WooCommerce 80+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #7 10 too high 18 W WP Is Mobile Text Widget 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 1 too high 19 PLU Redux 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #18 1 too high 20 Push MD – Git Sync for WordPress Content — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #19 1 too high 21 Contentrain Bridge – Export to Markdown, JSON & Git — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 22 TypeForge CPT and Meta Builder — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 ↓2 23 N Nav Menu Trim — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #24 ↓3 1 too low 24 Aouwal Static Site Export – Static Site Generator — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #23 1 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.