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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “global options”

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 “global options”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 15 of the top 20.

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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.

Ranked above its merit

WP Global Site Tag shows at wp.org #5 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 15 places. Its 7K+ 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

Anti-Spam, Spam FireWall by CleanTalk places #6 on merit, 4.8★ from 3221 reviews, but shows at wp.org #15. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5040) wp.org #1 2 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 Widget Options – Advanced Conditional Visibility for Gutenberg Blocks & Classic Widgets 100K+ · 4.9★ (1516) wp.org #4 1 too low 4 WooCommerce 7M+ · 4.5★ (4833) wp.org #7 3 too low 5 Custom Global Variables 5K+ · 5.0★ (10) wp.org #2 3 too high 6 Anti-Spam, Spam FireWall by CleanTalk 200K+ · 4.8★ (3221) wp.org #15 9 too low 7 Smush – Image Optimization, Compression, Lazy Load, WebP & CDN 1M+ · 4.8★ (6053) wp.org #14 ↓4 7 too low 8 Options for Twenty Twenty-One 6K+ · 4.9★ (64) wp.org #8 ↓2 9 Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ · 4.7★ (1667) wp.org #12 ↑5 3 too low 10 Premium Addons for Elementor – AI-Ready Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates 600K+ · 4.9★ (1680) wp.org #16 6 too low 11 Product Addons for Woocommerce – Product Options with Custom Fields 30K+ · 4.9★ (474) wp.org #18 ↓5 7 too low 12 LiteSpeed Cache 7M+ · 4.8★ (2778) wp.org #17 ↑4 5 too low 13 morkva UA Shipping – Nova Poshta, Ukrposhta, Rozetka, Nova Global 1K+ · 4.9★ (29) wp.org #11 2 too high 14 WooCommerce PayPal Payments 800K+ · 2.9★ (584) wp.org #10 ↑4 4 too high 15 Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408) wp.org #20 5 too low 16 Redux Framework 900K+ · 4.4★ (273) wp.org #22 ↓10 6 too low 17 WPC Product Options for WooCommerce 4K+ · 4.1★ (10) wp.org #9 ↓1 8 too high 18 Product Option Kit – Product Options & Addons for WooCommerce 200+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #6 ↑5 12 too high 19 Classic Visual Editor Options 1K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #13 ↓4 6 too high 20 WP Global Site Tag 7K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #5 15 too high 21 Extra Product Options for WooCommerce 600+ · 4.1★ (9) wp.org #21 ↓2 22 Email Inquiry & Cart Options for WooCommerce 800+ · 3.2★ (20) wp.org #23 ↓1 1 too low 23 Options for Block Themes 300+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #24 ↓1 1 too low 24 GlobalPayments Gateway Provider for WooCommerce 1K+ · 3.0★ (2) wp.org #19 ↓1 5 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.