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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “inactive students”

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 “inactive students”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 of the top 20.

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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.

Ranked above its merit

Inactive Students for LearnDash shows at wp.org #4 but places #17 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its — installs carry it up the search order; its 0.0★ average from 0 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

WPBot – AI ChatBot for Live Support, Lead Generation, WordPress Automation, AI Services places #11 on merit, 4.7★ from 124 reviews, but shows at wp.org #20. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Tutor LMS – eLearning and online course solution 100K+ · 4.4★ (590) wp.org #1 2 Import and export users and customers 70K+ · 4.7★ (259) wp.org #2 3 The School Management – Education & Learning ERP 700+ · 4.5★ (15) wp.org #3 ↓1 4 FuseWP – WordPress User Sync to Email List & Marketing Automation (Mailchimp, Constant Contact, ActiveCampaign etc.) 2K+ · 4.9★ (25) wp.org #5 1 too low 5 Creator LMS – WordPress LMS Plugin for Coaches, Cohorts & Course Creators 100+ · 5.0★ (16) wp.org #6 ↓3 1 too low 6 aBlocks – Gutenberg Blocks, User Dashboard Builder, Popup Builder, Form Builder & Animation Builder 2K+ · 5.0★ (26) wp.org #8 2 too low 7 Advanced Dynamic Pricing and Discount Rules for WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.7★ (123) wp.org #13 ↓3 6 too low 8 Paymattic – Secure, Simple Payment & Donation with Subscription Payments, Recurring Donations, Customer Management 3K+ · 4.8★ (44) wp.org #12 ↑1 4 too low 9 s2Member – Excellent for All Kinds of Memberships, Content Restriction Paywalls & Member Access Subscriptions 8K+ · 4.1★ (234) wp.org #17 ↓1 8 too low 10 Fox LMS – eLearning & Course Builder 60+ · 5.0★ (19) wp.org #11 1 too low 11 WPBot – AI ChatBot for Live Support, Lead Generation, WordPress Automation, AI Services 5K+ · 4.7★ (124) wp.org #20 ↓2 9 too low 12 Virtual Classroom & Video Conferencing – BigBlueButton 400+ · 4.6★ (10) wp.org #9 ↓2 3 too high 13 Enable Abilities for MCP 5K+ · 5.0★ (17) wp.org #15 ↓1 2 too low 14 Support Genix – Helpdesk, AI Chatbot, Knowledge Base & Customer Support Ticketing System 3K+ · 4.5★ (10) wp.org #10 ↓1 4 too high 15 Sublium Subscriptions – Subscriptions for WooCommerce – Recurring Payments, Subscription Plans & Installments 700+ · 5.0★ (11) wp.org #18 ↓1 3 too low 16 Gym Builder – Class Timetable & Booking for Gyms, Fitness & Yoga Studios 100+ · 5.0★ (10) wp.org #22 ↓3 6 too low 17 Inactive Students for LearnDash — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #4 13 too high 18 Academic Certificate Verification – Certificate Management & Certificate Validator 80+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #7 ↓1 11 too high 19 PressPrimer Certificate – Certificate Designer & Course Certification for Your LMS 300+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #19 20 VerifyPass Community ID 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #14 ↓2 6 too high 21 Wbcom Designs – BuddyPress Post from Anywhere 80+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #16 ↓1 5 too high 22 C Course Layouts – Elementor Addon for TutorLMS 70+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 ↓2 1 too low 23 Teydea Login Security – Password Policy, Complexity Rules & Expiration 400+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #21 ↓1 2 too high 24 Sync Engine for Intercom – Sync Users, Orders & Events 60+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #24 ↓2

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.