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

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 “gui”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 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.

Ranked above its merit

AIO Tools (All in One Tools) shows at wp.org #11 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 100+ 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

StoreCustomizer – A plugin to Customize all WooCommerce Pages places #7 on merit, 4.8★ from 127 reviews, but shows at wp.org #17. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Simple History – Track, Log, and Audit WordPress Changes 300K+ · 4.9★ (491) wp.org #1 2 301 Redirects – Redirect Manager 300K+ · 4.7★ (578) wp.org #2 3 List category posts 80K+ · 4.7★ (254) wp.org #3 4 WP Reset 300K+ · 4.8★ (1014) wp.org #5 ↓1 1 too low 5 WP Data Access – App Builder for Tables, Forms, Dashboards, Charts & Maps 10K+ · 4.9★ (88) wp.org #4 ↑1 1 too high 6 Wp-Insert 9K+ · 4.5★ (142) wp.org #7 ↓1 1 too low 7 StoreCustomizer – A plugin to Customize all WooCommerce Pages 20K+ · 4.8★ (127) wp.org #17 ↓3 10 too low 8 Mailchimp List Subscribe Form 60K+ · 2.6★ (77) wp.org #8 ↓1 9 Custom API for WP 1K+ · 4.8★ (45) wp.org #15 ↓3 6 too low 10 VietQR 4K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #6 4 too high 11 Constant Contact Forms by MailMunch 2K+ · 4.2★ (49) wp.org #13 ↓1 2 too low 12 AM LottiePlayer 700+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #9 ↓1 3 too high 13 Accept Authorize.NET Payments Using Contact Form 7 100+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #18 ↓3 5 too low 14 Easy Events Calendar : All-in-One Events Calendar with Social Event, Eventbrite, Meetup, Google & iCal Import Support 100+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #19 ↓3 5 too low 15 SurveyJS: Drag & Drop Form Builder 500+ · 4.7★ (3) wp.org #16 ↓3 1 too low 16 Post Meta 80+ · 3.9★ (7) wp.org #24 ↓2 8 too low 17 payOS 400+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #14 3 too high 18 WP Stripe Cart – Fast, lightweight Stripe Shopping Cart for WordPress 10+ · 4.5★ (2) wp.org #22 ↓2 4 too low 19 Casso Flow – Tự động xác nhận thanh toán chuyển khoản ngân hàng 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #10 9 too high 20 SGDIEN Contact Footer 40+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #23 ↓4 3 too low 21 AIO Tools (All in One Tools) 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #11 ↓2 10 too high 22 Maileon for WordPress 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #12 ↓3 10 too high 23 Crypto 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #20 ↓2 3 too high 24 Grey Rock Block Synchroniser for Wordfence and Cloudflare 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #21 ↓4 3 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.