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

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 “identification”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 7 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

Leadfeeder shows at wp.org #9 but places #17 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 2K+ 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

Pixel Manager for WooCommerce – Conversion Tracking, Google Ads, GA4, TikTok, Dynamic Remarketing places #5 on merit, 4.9★ from 399 reviews, but shows at wp.org #15. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Albacross – B2B Website Visitor Identification 1K+ · 4.8★ (24) wp.org #1 2 Inline Related Posts 100K+ · 4.3★ (77) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 Tracking Code Manager 90K+ · 4.1★ (58) wp.org #5 ↓1 2 too low 4 NIF (Num. de Contribuinte Português) for WooCommerce 5K+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #2 2 too high 5 Pixel Manager for WooCommerce – Conversion Tracking, Google Ads, GA4, TikTok, Dynamic Remarketing 40K+ · 4.9★ (399) wp.org #15 ↑3 10 too low 6 FastDup – Fastest WordPress Migration & Duplicator 5K+ · 4.6★ (27) wp.org #6 7 Royal WordPress Backup, Restore & Migration Plugin – Backup WordPress Sites Safely 30K+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #4 ↑5 3 too high 8 EAN Barcode Generator for WooCommerce: UPC, ISBN & GTIN Inventory 10K+ · 4.9★ (56) wp.org #8 9 VdoCipher: Secure Video Player and Hosting 2K+ · 4.2★ (14) wp.org #7 2 too high 10 ATUM WooCommerce Inventory Management and Stock Tracking 10K+ · 4.7★ (128) wp.org #14 ↓2 4 too low 11 Motors – Car Dealership & Classified Listings Plugin 9K+ · 4.5★ (79) wp.org #13 ↑1 2 too low 12 Quttera ThreatSign – Web Malware Scanner for WordPress 10K+ · 3.9★ (47) wp.org #12 ↑1 13 Evergreen Countdown Timer 2K+ · 3.6★ (14) wp.org #10 3 too high 14 Portugal States (Distritos) for WooCommerce 5K+ · 5.0★ (9) wp.org #11 3 too high 15 Fraud Prevention For WooCommerce and EDD 4K+ · 3.7★ (23) wp.org #16 ↓1 1 too low 16 RAEK First-Party Data Collection 200+ · 4.2★ (5) wp.org #22 ↓2 6 too low 17 Leadfeeder 2K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #9 ↓4 8 too high 18 Sopro 500+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #17 ↓1 1 too high 19 ContentPen 300+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #18 ↑6 1 too high 20 Flexible Invoices for WooCommerce – KSeF Add-on 700+ · 4.0★ (1) wp.org #21 1 too low 21 Alegra Invoicing for WooCommerce 80+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #20 ↓1 1 too high 22 QR payment for WooCommerce 400+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #23 ↓1 1 too low 23 Device Detector 500+ · 4.0★ (2) wp.org #24 ↓1 1 too low 24 Residential Address Detection 300+ · 2.0★ (1) wp.org #19 ↓2 5 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.