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

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 “handlebar”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 14 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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.

Ranked above its merit

Wizard Blocks Manager for Gutenberg shows at wp.org #7 but places #15 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 10+ installs carry it up the search order; its 0.0★ average from 0 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Custom Block Builder – Lazy Blocks 20K+ · 4.9★ (80) wp.org #1 2 MapSVG – Vector maps, Image maps, Google Maps 1K+ · 4.5★ (31) wp.org #2 3 Code Block Pro – Beautiful Syntax Highlighting 10K+ · 4.8★ (50) wp.org #3 4 UpdraftCentral Dashboard 5K+ · 4.5★ (22) wp.org #9 5 too low 5 M Chart 3K+ · 4.9★ (28) wp.org #13 8 too low 6 Force Refresh 4K+ · 5.0★ (12) wp.org #10 4 too low 7 Events Search & Filter Bar for The Events Calendar 3K+ · 4.8★ (29) wp.org #14 7 too low 8 EventON – Events Calendar 6K+ · 4.1★ (44) wp.org #12 4 too low 9 PicPoints – Interactive Image Map & Hotspot Builder 70+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #5 4 too high 10 HappyVR – Virtual Tour Builder & 360 Panorama Viewer 70+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #4 6 too high 11 B Better File Editor 300+ · 4.7★ (17) wp.org #21 10 too low 12 Vaaky Highlighter — Syntax Highlighter, Code Blocks, Line Numbers for Gutenberg 10+ · 4.5★ (2) wp.org #6 6 too high 13 Epoch – A native Disqus alternative with a focus on speed and privacy 60+ · 4.5★ (21) wp.org #23 10 too low 14 W wp-imgur 10+ · 4.8★ (6) wp.org #24 10 too low 15 Wizard Blocks Manager for Gutenberg 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #7 8 too high 16 WPBetterCodeHighlighting — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #8 8 too high 17 Snippets Block 100+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #17 18 LabelGrid Tools 50+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #15 3 too high 19 crouton 300+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #11 8 too high 20 FetchFlow API Content Blocks — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #16 4 too high 21 Isolation Flow Manager — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #19 2 too high 22 Rental Goods Manager — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 2 too high 23 W WP-Gistpen 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #18 5 too high 24 R Resourcify 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #22 2 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.