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← Rankings

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

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

ElementInvader Addons for Elementor shows at wp.org #10 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 3K+ 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

Beautiful Cookie Consent Banner places #10 on merit, 4.5★ from 95 reviews, but shows at wp.org #16. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 TermsFeed AutoTerms: Privacy Policy Generator, Cookie Consent, GDPR, CCPA, Terms & Conditions, Disclaimers, Cookies Policy, EULA 70K+ · 4.7★ (246) wp.org #1 2 Speed Optimizer – The All-In-One Performance-Boosting Plugin 1M+ · 4.2★ (641) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2051) wp.org #5 2 too low 4 Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (397) wp.org #7 3 too low 5 Cookie Bar 10K+ · 4.9★ (23) wp.org #4 1 too high 6 WPS Limit Login 100K+ · 4.9★ (83) wp.org #9 ↑1 3 too low 7 SiteSEO – SEO Simplified 400K+ · 4.0★ (8) wp.org #2 5 too high 8 H HTTP 410 (Gone) responses 4K+ · 4.6★ (21) wp.org #8 9 Better Plugin Compatibility Control 4K+ · 4.3★ (19) wp.org #6 3 too high 10 Beautiful Cookie Consent Banner 40K+ · 4.5★ (95) wp.org #16 6 too low 11 Einsatzverwaltung 1K+ · 4.9★ (17) wp.org #11 ↑2 12 EmailKit – Email Customizer for WooCommerce & WP 70K+ · 4.7★ (15) wp.org #14 ↑1 2 too low 13 Piraeus Bank WooCommerce Payment Gateway 3K+ · 3.9★ (35) wp.org #15 ↓6 2 too low 14 ReCrawler 3K+ · 5.0★ (11) wp.org #13 ↑1 1 too high 15 Smart Attachment Page Remove 900+ · 4.7★ (13) wp.org #17 2 too low 16 Notification Bar, Announcement and Cookie Notice WordPress Plugin – FooBar 3K+ · 4.8★ (10) wp.org #18 2 too low 17 GDPR CCPA Compliance & Cookie Consent Banner 1K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #20 3 too low 18 CPS | Age Verification 800+ · 4.4★ (7) wp.org #21 3 too low 19 Holiday Mode for WooCommerce 700+ · 4.6★ (5) wp.org #12 7 too high 20 WP Ultimate Review 60K+ · 3.4★ (17) wp.org #23 3 too low 21 WPC Smart Messages for WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.3★ (6) wp.org #24 3 too low 22 Coming Soon Products for WooCommerce 600+ · 4.2★ (5) wp.org #22 23 ElementInvader Addons for Elementor 3K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #10 ↑1 13 too high 24 Disclaimify – Affiliate Disclosure / Disclaimer for WordPress 400+ · 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.