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← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “img src”

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 “img src”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 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

MakeITeasy Back To Top shows at wp.org #12 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 2K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Ad Invalid Click Protector (AICP) places #7 on merit, 4.7★ from 62 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 One User Avatar | User Profile Picture 100K+ · 4.7★ (41) wp.org #1 2 Kama Thumbnail 8K+ · 4.7★ (15) wp.org #2 3 Meta Field Block – Display Custom Fields for ACF, Meta Box and More 10K+ · 5.0★ (57) wp.org #4 1 too low 4 Waymark 900+ · 5.0★ (54) wp.org #7 ↓1 3 too low 5 Tangible: Loops & Logic 2K+ · 4.9★ (39) wp.org #6 ↑1 1 too low 6 SVG Support 1M+ · 4.8★ (356) wp.org #9 ↓1 3 too low 7 Ad Invalid Click Protector (AICP) 10K+ · 4.7★ (62) wp.org #11 4 too low 8 Images to WebP 9K+ · 4.4★ (32) wp.org #5 3 too high 9 ShortPixel Adaptive Images – WebP, AVIF, CDN, Image Optimization 10K+ · 4.8★ (145) wp.org #10 1 too low 10 Enfants IMG Performer 40+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #3 7 too high 11 URL Params 8K+ · 5.0★ (37) wp.org #13 2 too low 12 Better image sizes 2K+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #8 ↑1 4 too high 13 Archivarix External Images Importer 1K+ · 5.0★ (9) wp.org #16 3 too low 14 ACF Photo Gallery Field 60K+ · 4.0★ (29) wp.org #15 1 too low 15 Auto Cloudinary 200+ · 4.4★ (14) wp.org #23 8 too low 16 PDF Thumbnail Generator 2K+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #18 2 too low 17 Smart Auto Upload Images – Import External Images 5K+ · 4.3★ (6) wp.org #17 18 PrettyPhoto – Simple Lightbox Plugin 2K+ · 2.8★ (15) wp.org #19 1 too low 19 Jamie's Visual HTML Editor 100+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #22 3 too low 20 MakeITeasy Back To Top 2K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #12 8 too high 21 REST API blocks 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #14 7 too high 22 EffortLess QR Code Generator 30+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 2 too high 23 Responsive Picture Block 40+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #24 1 too low 24 SpreadsheetConverter Calculator 500+ · 2.5★ (4) wp.org #21 3 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.