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

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 “glue”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 14 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.

G

Ranked above its merit

GlueUp shows at wp.org #16 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 10+ installs carry it up the search order; its 2.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Elements Hive for Breakdance 1K+ · 5.0★ (19) wp.org #1 2 Prevent Browser Caching 10K+ · 4.9★ (29) wp.org #2 3 Advanced Form Integration — Connect Forms to 300+ Apps 9K+ · 4.8★ (91) wp.org #5 2 too low 4 Code Engine – PHP Snippets, AI Functions & Automation for WordPress 800+ · 5.0★ (9) wp.org #6 2 too low 5 PitchPrint 300+ · 3.7★ (30) wp.org #8 3 too low 6 GravityExport Lite for Gravity Forms 10K+ · 5.0★ (39) wp.org #24 18 too low 7 xili-tidy-tags 1K+ · 4.5★ (8) wp.org #7 8 U Urvanov Syntax Highlighter 3K+ · 4.5★ (19) wp.org #23 15 too low 9 WPML Multilingual for Easy Digital Downloads 70+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #3 6 too high 10 Number of Products per Page – Pagination Manager for WooCommerce 1K+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #22 12 too low 11 Metabox Glue 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #4 7 too high 12 Webhook Actions – build automations and integrations with AI help — · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #10 2 too high 13 Product Notes Tab & Private Admin Notes for WooCommerce 1K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #20 7 too low 14 Lineate — Poetry Blocks 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #9 5 too high 15 AgentMod 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #11 4 too high 16 CaptchaLa — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #12 4 too high 17 DokimiAI Try-On for WooCommerce — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #13 4 too high 18 Posti Warehouse — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #14 4 too high 19 Beacon Campaign Sender — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #15 ↑1 4 too high 20 Tillbon – Barcode Till for WooCommerce — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 3 too high 21 Blog Sync for WeblySEO — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #18 3 too high 22 MontraFolio — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #19 3 too high 23 Essential Widgets 10K+ · 3.5★ (2) wp.org #21 2 too high 24 G GlueUp 10+ · 2.0★ (2) wp.org #16 ↓1 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.