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← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “ie9”

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 “ie9”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 16 of the top 20. 6 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

Shortcodes and extra features for Phlox theme shows at wp.org #3 but places #17 on merit, a gap of 14 places. Its 80K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 2.1★ average from 7 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Translate WordPress with GTranslate places #6 on merit, 4.9★ from 4962 reviews, but shows at wp.org #18. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Compact WP Audio Player 20K+ · 4.1★ (69) wp.org #1 2 WP Visitor Statistics (Real Time Traffic) 20K+ · 4.5★ (156) wp.org #2 3 Zotpress 2K+ · 4.9★ (66) wp.org #4 ↑1 1 too low 4 Blog Filter – Post Grid Filter by Category or Tag 7K+ · 4.9★ (81) wp.org #7 3 too low 5 eCommerce Product Catalog 7K+ · 4.7★ (270) wp.org #13 ↓3 8 too low 6 Translate WordPress with GTranslate 900K+ · 4.9★ (4962) wp.org #18 12 too low 7 A faster website! (aka defer.js) 200+ · 4.9★ (45) wp.org #12 ↑1 5 too low 8 Share This Image 1K+ · 4.1★ (22) wp.org #6 2 too high 9 Christmasify! 2K+ · 4.8★ (29) wp.org #14 5 too low 10 Master Slider – Responsive Touch Slider 60K+ · 4.6★ (504) wp.org #22 ↓1 12 too low 11 Matomo Analytics – Powerful, Privacy-First Insights for WordPress 100K+ · 4.6★ (178) wp.org #20 ↑2 9 too low 12 Premium Portfolio Features for Phlox theme 30K+ · 4.3★ (7) wp.org #5 ↓1 7 too high 13 WP Content Copy Protection 10K+ · 3.5★ (163) wp.org #19 6 too low 14 Photoswipe Masonry 6K+ · 4.5★ (46) wp.org #24 10 too low 15 S SFN Easy FAQ Manager 2K+ · 4.4★ (12) wp.org #10 ↑2 5 too high 16 Liteweight Podcast – run your podcast site without the bloat 400+ · 4.3★ (9) wp.org #9 7 too high 17 Shortcodes and extra features for Phlox theme 80K+ · 2.1★ (7) wp.org #3 14 too high 18 Scroll Back To Top Button 3K+ · 4.0★ (8) wp.org #11 7 too high 19 Fancy Elements for Avada 400+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #8 11 too high 20 Rexpansive Builder 10+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #17 3 too high 21 Easy Popup Maker 40+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #16 5 too high 22 IE6 Upgrade Option 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #15 7 too high 23 Crypto Price Table 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 ↓1 2 too high 24 TCBD Preloader — · 5.0★ (1) 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.