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

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 “innovation”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 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

Livebeep – Chatbot, Live Chat, CRM & Digital Marketing shows at wp.org #7 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 400+ 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

AfterShip Tracking – All-In-One WooCommerce Order Tracking (Free plan available) places #7 on merit, 4.8★ from 633 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 signals wp.org

Redux Framework 900K+ · 4.4★ (273) wp.org #1 2

Dokan: AI Powered WooCommerce Multivendor Marketplace Solution – Build Your Own Amazon, eBay, Etsy 30K+ · 4.6★ (769) wp.org #3 1 too low 3

Patchstack – WordPress & Plugins Security 100K+ · 4.8★ (62) wp.org #2 1 too high 4

GEO Plugin by Squirrly SEO 30K+ · 4.6★ (683) wp.org #6 2 too low 5

Quads Ads Manager for Google AdSense 20K+ · 4.9★ (1087) wp.org #8 3 too low 6

Easy Google Adsense and Banner Ads Manager – AdsforWP 1K+ · 4.6★ (43) wp.org #5 1 too high 7

AfterShip Tracking – All-In-One WooCommerce Order Tracking (Free plan available) 7K+ · 4.8★ (633) wp.org #18 11 too low 8

Checkout Field Editor (Checkout Manager) for WooCommerce 2K+ · 4.7★ (40) wp.org #9 1 too low 9

Amazon Pay for WooCommerce 10K+ · 2.5★ (27) low rating, top placement wp.org #4 5 too high 10

Accessibility by AllAccessible 2K+ · 5.0★ (15) thin reviews wp.org #10 11

AF Companion – Starter Sites, Speed Booster & Growth Suite for Professional Publishing 10K+ · 4.9★ (34) wp.org #16 5 too low 12

CM Tooltip Glossary 7K+ · 4.3★ (157) wp.org #20 8 too low 13

ConnectPOS | Point of Sale for WooCommerce 60+ · 4.6★ (20) thin reviews wp.org #24 11 too low 14

DiagnoSEO – Fast and Automated On-page SEO 100+ · 5.0★ (9) thin reviews wp.org #19 5 too low 15

Simple Link Library 40+ · 4.5★ (4) thin reviews wp.org #11 4 too high 16

SiteLock Security – WP Hardening, Login Security & Malware Scans 1K+ · 3.4★ (14) thin reviews wp.org #14 2 too high 17

TemplateSpare – No-Code Starter Templates, Demo Importer & Site Migration for News, Magazine & Blog 10K+ · 4.3★ (6) thin reviews wp.org #15 2 too high 18

Livebeep – Chatbot, Live Chat, CRM & Digital Marketing 400+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews wp.org #7 11 too high 19

PostFinance Checkout for Woocommerce 900+ · 1.8★ (38) wp.org #17 2 too high 20

UiCore Elements – Free widgets and templates for Elementor 40K+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews wp.org #12 8 too high 21

Selection Lite 9K+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews wp.org #13 8 too high 22 A Ask Innovation Widget — · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews wp.org #21 1 too high 23

GoFundMe Pro | Nonprofit Donation Forms 400+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews wp.org #22 1 too high 24

Saturne Démarches 10+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews 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.