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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “html encoder”

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

Link Invoice Payment for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #6 but places #17 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 200+ 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

Redis Object Cache places #7 on merit, 4.5★ from 179 reviews, but shows at wp.org #24. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Email Encoder – Protect Email Addresses and Phone Numbers 90K+ · 4.9★ (94) wp.org #1 2 Anti-Spam, Spam FireWall by CleanTalk 200K+ · 4.8★ (3221) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 Email Address Encoder 100K+ · 4.2★ (160) wp.org #2 1 too high 4 WpStream – Live Streaming, Video on Demand, Pay Per View 3K+ · 4.8★ (78) wp.org #4 5 MegaOptim Image Optimizer – Convert to WebP & AVIF, Compress Images Locally 100+ · 5.0★ (34) wp.org #9 4 too low 6 T Trackserver 400+ · 5.0★ (19) wp.org #12 6 too low 7 Redis Object Cache 500K+ · 4.5★ (179) wp.org #24 17 too low 8 Squeeze – Browser-Based Image Compression & WebP Converter (No API, No Limits) 3K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #13 5 too low 9 Kadence Central – Site Management, Backups, Security, and Reporting 30K+ · 4.2★ (5) wp.org #10 1 too low 10 Paid Videochat Turnkey Site – HTML5 PPV Live Webcams 10+ · 4.2★ (22) wp.org #20 10 too low 11 Broadcast Live Video – Live Streaming : WebRTC, HLS, RTSP, RTMP 400+ · 2.7★ (14) wp.org #11 12 Rupanta Media Converter 60+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #5 7 too high 13 WhoKnew Shield — Email, Phone & Address Security 30+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #7 6 too high 14 WebberZone Image Optimizer – WebP & AVIF Converter, Compress Images 20+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #15 1 too low 15 Uplink Media Bridge for Etch 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #16 1 too low 16 I-PR AVIF Converter – Automatic Image Optimization 20+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #8 8 too high 17 Link Invoice Payment for WooCommerce 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #6 11 too high 18 Fleet Agent Site Manager – Securely Connects Your Sites to a WPMgr Dashboard 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #19 1 too low 19 CLU Just Modern Images 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #14 5 too high 20 VeloIMG – WebP & AVIF Image Optimizer 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 3 too high 21 VMPlayer 50+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #18 3 too high 22 PromptPay for WooCommerce 30+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 1 too low 23 LNDLE Speed – Page Cache, WebP, Lazy Load & Performance 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #21 2 too high 24 ProRank SEO 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.