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

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 “identity”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 16 of the top 20. 5 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

IdentityMirror | Sync Customizer Logo to Login shows at wp.org #6 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 16 places. Its 50+ 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

OAuth Single Sign On – SSO (OAuth Client) places #7 on merit, 4.9★ from 327 reviews, but shows at wp.org #19. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Identity Verification for WooCommerce 100+ · 5.0★ (12) wp.org #1 2 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 SAML IDP (Identity Provider) – Login with Website Users 600+ · 4.8★ (62) wp.org #2 1 too high 4 SAML Single Sign On – SSO Login 10K+ · 4.9★ (402) wp.org #10 ↓1 6 too low 5 Custom Fonts – Host Your Fonts Locally 400K+ · 4.3★ (62) wp.org #5 6 Access Governance for WordPress (aka AAM) 100K+ · 4.2★ (420) wp.org #12 6 too low 7 OAuth Single Sign On – SSO (OAuth Client) 6K+ · 4.9★ (327) wp.org #19 ↓5 12 too low 8 MultiVendorX – WooCommerce Multivendor Marketplace AI Powered Solutions 2K+ · 4.8★ (432) wp.org #14 ↑3 6 too low 9 Smart COD for WooCommerce 30K+ · 4.6★ (52) wp.org #16 ↑1 7 too low 10 Smooth Back To Top Button 40K+ · 4.9★ (31) wp.org #15 ↑1 5 too low 11 Age Verification for your checkout page. Verify your customer’s identity 600+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #4 7 too high 12 TrustedSite 10K+ · 4.2★ (26) wp.org #17 5 too low 13 SureFeedback Client Site 5K+ · 4.0★ (39) wp.org #18 ↓1 5 too low 14 WP SAML Auth 7K+ · 4.5★ (8) wp.org #11 ↓1 3 too high 15 O OneLogin SAML SSO 7K+ · 4.4★ (14) wp.org #20 5 too low 16 Blacklist Manager – WooCommerce Anti-Fraud, Blacklist & Checkout Verification 2K+ · 3.6★ (14) wp.org #13 ↑2 3 too high 17 CookieAdmin – Cookie Consent Banner 400K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #7 ↓1 10 too high 18 Age Verification & Identity Verification by Token of Trust 30+ · 4.3★ (15) wp.org #22 ↓3 4 too low 19 TruAnon Identity 10+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #9 ↓1 10 too high 20 Shibboleth 3K+ · 4.3★ (7) wp.org #24 ↓1 4 too low 21 Shufti | Identity Verification Service 20+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #8 ↑5 13 too high 22 IdentityMirror | Sync Customizer Logo to Login 50+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #6 ↑1 16 too high 23 Mailster AmazonSES Integration 1K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #21 2 too high 24 WebFinger 1K+ · 3.7★ (3) wp.org #23 ↓1 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.