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

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 “hipaa”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 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

2ConnectMe – Video Chat, Screen Share & Stripe Payments shows at wp.org #15 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 10+ 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

SAML Single Sign On – SSO Login places #5 on merit, 4.9★ from 402 reviews, but shows at wp.org #11. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Simply Schedule Appointments 50K+ · 5.0★ (155) wp.org #3 ↑1 2 too low 2 HIPAA Forms 800+ · 4.3★ (9) wp.org #1 1 too high 3 HIPAA Compliant Forms with Drag’n’Drop HIPAA Form Builder. Sign HIPAA documents 400+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #2 1 too high 4 Happyforms – Form Builder for WordPress: Drag & Drop Contact Forms, Surveys, Payments & Multipurpose Forms 20K+ · 4.4★ (433) wp.org #9 5 too low 5 SAML Single Sign On – SSO Login 10K+ · 4.9★ (402) wp.org #11 6 too low 6 Online Forms — Customizable Payment, Contact, Quiz, Survey Form Builder – Jotform 20K+ · 3.2★ (29) wp.org #4 ↓1 2 too high 7 Cognito Forms 2K+ · 4.0★ (19) wp.org #5 2 too high 8 FormLift for Keap (Legacy) Web Forms 300+ · 4.6★ (12) wp.org #8 9 Activity Log Pro – User Activity Log, Audit Log & Security Monitor 400+ · 5.0★ (15) wp.org #17 ↓1 8 too low 10 Zoho Forms – Drag & Drop Form Builder for Websites – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Order Forms & More 10K+ · 2.7★ (14) wp.org #6 4 too high 11 GriffinForms – Contact Form and Form Builder 20+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #14 ↑3 3 too low 12 Integrate PostHog Web Analytics 300+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #7 5 too high 13 Jotform – Widgets for Google Reviews 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #10 3 too high 14 H HIPAA Compliance Helper for Contact Form 7 — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #13 1 too high 15 Kommunicate – AI Agents and Live Chat for Customer Support 60+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #12 3 too high 16 Adminify Activity Log & Audit Trail 200+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #16 ↓1 17 Webhookify – Send Form Submissions to Webhooks 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 3 too low 18 ChatterForms — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 3 too low 19 FormDoctor Patient Intake Tools — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 3 too low 20 AppointPod Appointment Booking Launcher — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 3 too low 21 ANON::form embedded secure form 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #18 3 too high 22 Hospital Booking & Clinic Management System – Doctor Appointment Plugin by KrishnaDas — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #19 3 too high 23 2ConnectMe – Video Chat, Screen Share & Stripe Payments 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #15 ↓1 8 too high 24 QuickBlox AI Agent — · 5.0★ (1) 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.