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

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

PressPrimer Assignment – Homework Submission, Document Viewer & LMS Grading Workflows shows at wp.org #3 but places #15 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 60+ 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

SmartCrawl SEO checker, analyzer & optimizer places #6 on merit, 4.8★ from 171 reviews, but shows at wp.org #10. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Quiz and Survey Master (QSM) – Quiz Maker & Survey Maker 40K+ · 4.7★ (1282) wp.org #1 2 Quiz Maker by AYS 20K+ · 4.9★ (601) wp.org #4 ↑3 2 too low 3 Masteriyo LMS – LMS Course Builder, Quizzes & Certificates 6K+ · 4.8★ (184) wp.org #2 1 too high 4 Tutor LMS – eLearning and online course solution 100K+ · 4.4★ (590) wp.org #5 ↓1 1 too low 5 Formidable Forms – Contact Form, Survey, Quiz, Payment, Calculator Form & Custom Form Builder 300K+ · 4.8★ (1388) wp.org #8 3 too low 6 SmartCrawl SEO checker, analyzer & optimizer 10K+ · 4.8★ (171) wp.org #10 4 too low 7 Watu Quiz 3K+ · 4.7★ (137) wp.org #9 2 too low 8 Educare – Students & Result Management System 600+ · 4.6★ (24) wp.org #7 ↓1 1 too high 9 School Management System – WPSchoolPress 1K+ · 4.0★ (21) wp.org #6 ↓1 3 too high 10 Voice Audio Widgets – Voice recorder with Forms, AI Powered STT, TTS, Transcriptions, Language Teaching 300+ · 5.0★ (16) wp.org #12 2 too low 11 FlexTable – Data Table Sync with Google Sheets 3K+ · 4.6★ (35) wp.org #18 ↑1 7 too low 12 Creator LMS – WordPress LMS Plugin for Coaches, Cohorts & Course Creators 100+ · 5.0★ (16) wp.org #19 ↓1 7 too low 13 The School Management – Education & Learning ERP 700+ · 4.5★ (15) wp.org #15 ↓1 2 too low 14 phpinfo() WP – Site Health, PHP Compatibility & Server Audit 3K+ · 4.5★ (8) wp.org #11 3 too high 15 PressPrimer Assignment – Homework Submission, Document Viewer & LMS Grading Workflows 60+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #3 12 too high 16 Porsline 300+ · 4.9★ (9) wp.org #16 ↓1 17 PressPrimer Quiz – AI Quiz Maker, Exam Builder & LMS Assessment Plugin 200+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #13 4 too high 18 TotalSurvey for Survey, Quiz and Form 500+ · 4.6★ (16) wp.org #20 2 too low 19 LocalForm – Form Builder for Contact Forms, Surveys & Event Registration 200+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #23 4 too low 20 atec Hosting Check 40+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #14 ↑2 6 too high 21 PHP Vitals 300+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #17 4 too high 22 Sikshya LMS – LMS Course Builder, Online Courses & eLearning 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #21 1 too high 23 Dream University Management 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #22 1 too high 24 HEXAM — Quiz & Exam Builder 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #24

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.