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

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 “hate”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 of the top 20.

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

Mobile Contact Line shows at wp.org #6 but places #12 on merit, a gap of 6 places. Its 1K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 5 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

HTML5 Audio Player – The Ultimate No-Code Podcast, MP3 & Audio Player places #8 on merit, 4.6★ from 169 reviews, but shows at wp.org #21. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Anti-Spam, Spam FireWall by CleanTalk 200K+ · 4.8★ (3221) wp.org #1 2 Show Pages IDs 10K+ · 5.0★ (103) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 WP Duplicate Page 60K+ · 4.2★ (16) wp.org #2 1 too high 4 Machete 6K+ · 5.0★ (52) wp.org #5 1 too low 5 Back To The Top Button 4K+ · 5.0★ (28) wp.org #4 1 too high 6 Quick Event Manager 1K+ · 4.9★ (67) wp.org #14 8 too low 7 Wp Social Login and Register Social Counter 70K+ · 4.6★ (67) wp.org #15 8 too low 8 HTML5 Audio Player – The Ultimate No-Code Podcast, MP3 & Audio Player 10K+ · 4.6★ (169) wp.org #21 13 too low 9 Essential Form – The lightest plugin for contact forms, ultra lightweight and no spam 600+ · 4.9★ (19) wp.org #12 3 too low 10 Simple Accessibility Button 900+ · 5.0★ (9) wp.org #8 2 too high 11 Fast Chat Button 1K+ · 4.9★ (7) wp.org #7 4 too high 12 Mobile Contact Line 1K+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #6 6 too high 13 Page & Post Notes 1K+ · 4.4★ (14) wp.org #10 3 too high 14 Advanced 301 and 302 Redirect 1K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #9 5 too high 15 Show Pages URL List 1K+ · 4.4★ (8) wp.org #11 4 too high 16 Subscribe To Comments Checkbox 100+ · 4.9★ (9) wp.org #19 3 too low 17 Fix Category Count 100+ · 4.6★ (9) wp.org #16 1 too high 18 Fast Etsy Listings 400+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #18 19 Info Cards – Add Text and Media in Card Layouts 2K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #13 6 too high 20 Menu Backup & Restore + Import/Export 500+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #20 21 Click To Copy – Copy Text or Code to Clipboard Instantly 900+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #17 4 too high 22 Business Reviews – build trust with real customer feedback 1K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #22 23 Phone Button 700+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #24 1 too low 24 Logo Carousel – showcase client logos professionally 800+ · 4.0★ (2) wp.org #23 1 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.