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

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 “habit”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 15 of the top 20. 4 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

Usetiful – Digital Adoption Platform 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

FunnelKit Automations – Email Marketing Automation and CRM for WordPress & WooCommerce places #2 on merit, 5.0★ from 346 reviews, but shows at wp.org #7. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 RY Tools for WooCommerce 4K+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #1 ↑2 2 FunnelKit Automations – Email Marketing Automation and CRM for WordPress & WooCommerce 20K+ · 5.0★ (346) wp.org #7 ↑1 5 too low 3 Accessibility Tools & Alt Text Finder 3K+ · 4.9★ (69) wp.org #4 ↑2 1 too low 4 Custom Highlight Color 900+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #2 ↑2 2 too high 5 Poll Maker by AYS – Versus Polls, Anonymous Polls, Image Polls 6K+ · 4.4★ (91) wp.org #8 ↑1 3 too low 6 GetResponse Official 4K+ · 4.3★ (4) wp.org #3 ↑2 3 too high 7 Divine Astro 100+ · 4.6★ (11) wp.org #16 ↑2 9 too low 8 Small Business Copywriting Plugin – Launch With Words 10+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #22 ↑2 14 too low 9 Elite Notification – Sales Popup, Social Proof, FOMO Notification for WooCommerce 30+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #15 ↑2 6 too low 10 Jetpack Stats 800+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #6 ↑4 4 too high 11 FooSales – Point of Sale (POS) for WooCommerce 600+ · 3.2★ (13) wp.org #14 ↑2 3 too low 12 Advanced Date Time Field For Contact Form 7, Gravity Forms, WPForms, Elementor & Fluent Forms 80+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #5 ↑2 7 too high 13 H hearthis.at 100+ · 3.7★ (6) wp.org #18 ↑3 5 too low 14 Bible Reading Plans 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #9 ↑2 5 too high 15 Fancy Post Grid – Ultimate Post Grid Builder 300+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #12 ↑2 3 too high 16 AI Chatbot & Support Agent 10+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #19 ↑1 3 too low 17 AdRoll for WooCommerce Stores 500+ · 2.5★ (10) wp.org #10 ↑3 7 too high 18 FitCalc – Health Calculators & Wellness Tools 30+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #13 ↑2 5 too high 19 Habitune — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 ↑2 2 too high 20 Lineate — Poetry Blocks 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 ↑2 21 Usetiful – Digital Adoption Platform 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #11 ↑1 10 too high 22 Disable Commands – Custom Key Binding in Command Palette 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 ↑2 1 too high 23 Nizamiye — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 24 Raptive SEO 20+ · 0.0★ (0) 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.