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

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 “intense”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 7 of the top 20. 5 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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.

Ranked above its merit

Full Screen Images shows at wp.org #6 but places #11 on merit, a gap of 5 places. Its 40+ 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.

merit plugin signals wp.org

Kargo Takip, Kargo SMS, İlçe Mahalle Sözleşme by Hezarfen 2K+ · 5.0★ (43) wp.org #1 2

Fourteen Colors 8K+ · 4.8★ (48) wp.org #7 5 too low 3

Hosting Benchmark tool 4K+ · 4.7★ (33) wp.org #8 5 too low 4

FV Thoughtful Comments 70+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviewsstale but ranked wp.org #4 5

CFF Fitness and Health Operations 60+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviewslow rating, top placement wp.org #2 3 too high 6

EDigital Accessibility Tools and Statement 40+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviewslow rating, top placement wp.org #3 3 too high 7

Supsis – Live Chat, Chatbots & Email Integration 10+ · 5.0★ (4) closure risk thin reviewsstale but ranked wp.org #9 2 too low 8

IntenseDebate Comments 500+ · 2.2★ (9) closure risk thin reviewslow rating, top placementstale but ranked wp.org #5 3 too high 9

DocxToPost – Import Word (DOCX) & Markdown to Posts, Pages & Custom Post Types 100+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews wp.org #10 1 too low 10 V Vanilla Forums 100+ · 2.8★ (17) closure risk thin reviews wp.org #15 5 too low 11 F Full Screen Images 40+ · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviewsstale but ranked wp.org #6 5 too high 12

HNB bank payment gateway 10+ · 5.0★ (2) closure risk thin reviews wp.org #14 2 too low 13 I Intense Kargo Kurtarma Modu for WooCommerce — · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviews wp.org #11 2 too high 14

Gloty – AI Translation & Multilingual — · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews wp.org #12 2 too high 15 F Fast Translate 10+ · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviews wp.org #13 2 too high 16 S Spam Catharsis 10+ · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviews wp.org #16 17 H Hail Reports Heatmap 10+ · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviews wp.org #17 18 I IntenseDebate XML Importer (Blogger to WordPress) 10+ · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviews wp.org #18 ↑1 19 I IntenseDebate Importer 10+ · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviews wp.org #19 ↓1 20 F Flowtown Webhook — · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviews wp.org #21 1 too low 21 X XXLBoard — · 3.0★ (2) closure risk thin reviews wp.org #20 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.