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

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 setting”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 of the top 20. 2 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

Disable Global Style shows at wp.org #5 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 15 places. Its 500+ 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 #9 on merit, 4.8★ from 3220 reviews, but shows at wp.org #22. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) wp.org #1 2 Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ · 4.7★ (1667) wp.org #6 ↑6 3 too low 4 Custom Global Variables 5K+ · 5.0★ (10) wp.org #2 2 too high 5 LiteSpeed Cache 7M+ · 4.8★ (2778) wp.org #8 ↓2 3 too low 6 Smush – Image Optimization, Compression, Lazy Load, WebP & CDN 1M+ · 4.8★ (6053) wp.org #14 ↓3 8 too low 7 Change Admin Email 40K+ · 4.8★ (141) wp.org #11 ↓3 4 too low 8 morkva UA Shipping – Nova Poshta, Ukrposhta, Rozetka, Nova Global 1K+ · 4.9★ (29) wp.org #7 1 too high 9 Anti-Spam, Spam FireWall by CleanTalk 200K+ · 4.8★ (3220) wp.org #22 13 too low 10 WooCommerce 7M+ · 4.5★ (4833) wp.org #10 ↓1 11 Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408) wp.org #13 ↑5 2 too low 12 WPVibe – MCP Server for WordPress, works with Claude, ChatGPT & other AI MCP agents 100K+ · 5.0★ (195) wp.org #17 ↓3 5 too low 13 Premium Addons for Elementor – AI-Ready Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates 600K+ · 4.9★ (1680) wp.org #24 ↓2 11 too low 14 SimpleTOC – Table of Contents Block 10K+ · 4.9★ (77) wp.org #20 6 too low 15 DearFlip – PDF Flipbook, 3D Flipbook, PDF embed, PDF viewer 200K+ · 4.9★ (194) wp.org #23 ↓7 8 too low 16 Variation Swatches for WooCommerce – Color, Image & Size Swatches 200K+ · 4.6★ (51) wp.org #18 ↓3 2 too low 17 Syncee Premium Dropshipping & Wholesale 1K+ · 4.5★ (49) wp.org #19 ↓2 2 too low 18 WP Global Site Tag 7K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #4 14 too high 19 WooCommerce PayPal Payments 800K+ · 2.9★ (583) wp.org #15 ↑5 4 too high 20 Disable Global Style 500+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #5 15 too high 21 Import / Export Customizer Settings 50K+ · 4.7★ (6) wp.org #12 ↓2 9 too high 22 Sitewide Discount for WooCommerce: Apply Discount to All Products 600+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #21 ↓2 1 too high 23 Global Site Tag Tracking 1K+ · 3.0★ (2) wp.org #9 ↓2 14 too high 24 GlobalPayments Gateway Provider for WooCommerce 1K+ · 3.0★ (2) wp.org #16 ↓3 8 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.