Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

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

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 “info”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 17 of the top 20. 2 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

Homepage Helden Contact Info shows at wp.org #12 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 200+ 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

WP Store Locator places #8 on merit, 4.8★ from 312 reviews, but shows at wp.org #24. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 WP Last Modified Info 40K+ · 4.9★ (855) wp.org #4 ↓2 3 too low 2 CookieYes – Cookie Banner for Cookie Consent (Easy to setup GDPR/CCPA Compliant Cookie Notice) 1M+ · 4.8★ (3236) wp.org #6 4 too low 3 atec Cache Info 1K+ · 5.0★ (10) wp.org #2 ↑1 1 too high 4 Version Info – Server Health Monitor, PHP & MySQL Version Display, Environment Indicators 10K+ · 5.0★ (15) wp.org #3 ↑1 1 too high 5 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) wp.org #8 ↑4 3 too low 6 Info Cards – Add Text and Media in Card Layouts 2K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #1 5 too high 7 FooGallery Photo Gallery : Image, Video & Masonry Galleries 100K+ · 4.8★ (995) wp.org #17 ↓2 10 too low 8 WP Store Locator 40K+ · 4.8★ (312) wp.org #24 16 too low 9 Spectra Legacy – Gutenberg Blocks 1M+ · 4.7★ (1872) wp.org #21 ↑1 12 too low 10 Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132) wp.org #23 ↓2 13 too low 11 Server Info – System Health & Diagnostics Suite 3K+ · 3.8★ (12) wp.org #5 6 too high 12 Kadence Blocks — Page Builder Toolkit for Gutenberg Editor 600K+ · 4.8★ (333) wp.org #20 8 too low 13 WP Plugin Info Card – Showcase Beautiful Plugin, Theme, and GitHub Cards Anywhere 400+ · 5.0★ (23) wp.org #14 ↓7 1 too low 14 Meta Generator and Version Info Remover 10K+ · 5.0★ (28) wp.org #18 ↓1 4 too low 15 Hostinger Tools 3M+ · 3.5★ (40) wp.org #7 ↑1 8 too high 16 Extension Info Exporter 200+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #10 6 too high 17 atec System Info 200+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #9 8 too high 18 Lead info with country for Contact Form 7 3K+ · 4.2★ (5) wp.org #11 7 too high 19 CL WP Info 90+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #13 ↑2 6 too high 20 RPS Blog Info 100+ · 4.5★ (2) wp.org #15 ↑1 5 too high 21 Apache Status & Info 90+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #16 ↑1 5 too high 22 Homepage Helden Contact Info 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #12 ↑1 10 too high 23 A AffiliateWP – Affiliate Info 1K+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 1 too high 24 Display Server Info 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #19 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.