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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “gold api”

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 “gold api”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 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 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

Gold Price Live – Gold & Silver Prices, Charts, Widgets, Melt Value Calculator shows at wp.org #3 but places #17 on merit, a gap of 14 places. Its 200+ installs carry it up the search order; its 2.5★ average from 8 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

DearFlip – PDF Flipbook, 3D Flipbook, PDF embed, PDF viewer places #10 on merit, 4.9★ from 194 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 All-in-One WP Migration and Backup 5M+ · 4.5★ (7676) wp.org #1 2 Premium Addons for Elementor – AI-Ready Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates 600K+ · 4.9★ (1680) wp.org #6 4 too low 3 Prevent Direct Access – Protect WordPress Files 10K+ · 4.6★ (297) wp.org #5 ↓1 2 too low 4 Simple Membership 40K+ · 4.6★ (475) wp.org #4 ↑1 5 WP Go Maps – Google Map, OpenStreetMap, Leaflet Map 300K+ · 4.8★ (3055) wp.org #7 ↑1 2 too low 6 Gold Price Based on Weight 300+ · 5.0★ (9) wp.org #2 4 too high 7 PPWP – Password Protect Pages 30K+ · 4.7★ (271) wp.org #11 ↑3 4 too low 8 GiveWP – Donation Plugin and Fundraising Platform 100K+ · 4.6★ (708) wp.org #8 ↓1 9 OneSignal – Web Push Notifications 60K+ · 4.3★ (360) wp.org #9 10 DearFlip – PDF Flipbook, 3D Flipbook, PDF embed, PDF viewer 200K+ · 4.9★ (194) wp.org #15 ↓3 5 too low 11 Ecwid by Lightspeed Ecommerce Shopping Cart 20K+ · 4.5★ (228) wp.org #12 ↑3 1 too low 12 Classified Listing – AI-Powered Classified ads & Business Directory 9K+ · 4.8★ (138) wp.org #16 ↑2 4 too low 13 Restrict User Access – Ultimate Membership & Content Protection 10K+ · 4.3★ (94) wp.org #13 ↑3 14 Eventin – Events Calendar, Tickets, Registration, Booking & WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.7★ (413) wp.org #21 ↑2 7 too low 15 Importify – AI Dropshipping for WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.5★ (27) wp.org #17 ↓4 2 too low 16 Document Gallery 8K+ · 4.8★ (112) wp.org #24 8 too low 17 Gold Price Live – Gold & Silver Prices, Charts, Widgets, Melt Value Calculator 200+ · 2.5★ (8) wp.org #3 14 too high 18 WCFM Membership – WooCommerce Memberships for Multivendor Marketplace 10K+ · 4.0★ (25) wp.org #18 ↑2 19 PayPal Payment Buttons 500+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #14 ↑3 5 too high 20 MetalpriceAPI 500+ · 4.3★ (3) wp.org #10 ↑1 10 too high 21 ShipStation Live Rates for WooCommerce 800+ · 3.6★ (11) wp.org #22 ↑2 1 too low 22 UniConsent Cookie Consent CMP – Consent Manager 2K+ · 3.7★ (3) wp.org #19 ↑2 3 too high 23 Cookie Information – Cookie Banner with Consent Mode v2 2K+ · 3.0★ (4) wp.org #23 24 Hesapis Market Data – Gold, Currency & Crypto Prices — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #20 ↑2 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.