wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “halloween”
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 “halloween”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 17 of the top 20. 3 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
Halloween Countdown shows at wp.org #2 but places #14 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 50+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Upsell Funnel Builder for WooCommerce – Create Upsells, Cross-Sells, Order Bumps, Frequently Bought, and Popups. places #11 on merit, 4.7★ from 116 reviews, but shows at wp.org #23. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Weather Effect 4K+ · 4.5★ (30) not PHP-current
wp.org #1 2 
HurryTimer – An Scarcity and Urgency Countdown Timer for WordPress & WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.8★ (170)
wp.org #4 2 too low 3 
Tickera – Sell Tickets & Manage Events 2K+ · 4.5★ (292)
wp.org #10 ↓4 7 too low 4 
Gratisfaction- Loyalty, Rewards , Referral, Birthday and Giveaway Program 600+ · 4.8★ (205) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #8 ↓3 4 too low 5 
Customer Engagement System – Popup Builder, Forms, CRM & Email Marketing Automation 9K+ · 4.5★ (340)
wp.org #12 7 too low 6 
WP Optin Wheel – Gamified Optin Email Marketing Tool for WordPress and WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.9★ (81)
wp.org #11 ↓3 5 too low 7 
Icegram Engage – Popups, Welcome Bars, Optins, Slide-Ins & Lead Generation for WordPress 10K+ · 4.7★ (370) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #15 8 too low 8 
Super Advent Calendar 300+ · 5.0★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #5 3 too high 9 
Scratch & Win – Giveaways and Contests. Boost subscribers, traffic, repeat visits, referrals, sales and more 100+ · 4.7★ (30)
wp.org #16 ↓6 7 too low 10 
Social Boost: Giveaways, Instant win and Contests. Grow followers, shares, subscribers, traffic, referrals, sales and more 100+ · 5.0★ (25)
wp.org #19 ↓4 9 too low 11 Upsell Funnel Builder for WooCommerce – Create Upsells, Cross-Sells, Order Bumps, Frequently Bought, and Popups. 2K+ · 4.7★ (116) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #23 ↓5 12 too low 12 
Gratisfaction- Contests Giveaways Referral Loyalty Rewards and Birthdays Program 20+ · 5.0★ (16) thin reviews
wp.org #20 ↓4 8 too low 13 
ConvertForce: Popup, Notification Bar & Slide-in Builder 100+ · 4.7★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #9 4 too high 14 Halloween Countdown 50+ · 4.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #2 12 too high 15 
Seasonal Effects & Notice Bar (formerly Halloween Animations) 100+ · 0.0★ (0) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviewslow rating, top placement
wp.org #3 ↑4 12 too high 16 
Dynamic Pricing and Discount Rules for WooCommerce 600+ · 4.0★ (13) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #13 ↓2 3 too high 17 
Init FX Engine – Interactive, Event-Driven, Lightweight 80+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #6 11 too high 18 
Zoho Forms – Drag & Drop Form Builder for Websites – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Order Forms & More 10K+ · 2.7★ (14) thin reviews
wp.org #18 ↓4 19 
Amedea – Unique Design Elements for Elementor 500+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #7 ↓4 12 too high 20 
Product Page Customizer for WooCommerce 50+ · 5.0★ (4) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #24 4 too low 21 
Boom Fest 10+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews
wp.org #21 ↓4 22 
Halloween Countdown Widget 10+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #17 ↓4 5 too high 23 
Halloween Effects 30+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews
wp.org #22 ↓2 1 too high 24 
Festival Snow Effect 60+ · 4.0★ (2) not PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #14 ↓2 10 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.