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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “internet explorer”

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 “internet explorer”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 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.

F

Ranked above its merit

Fast Smooth Scroll shows at wp.org #7 but places #17 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 800+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Anti-Spam, Spam FireWall by CleanTalk places #6 on merit, 4.8★ from 3220 reviews, but shows at wp.org #15. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Lightbox slider – Responsive Lightbox Gallery 3K+ · 4.7★ (24) wp.org #2 ↓1 1 too low 2 Wonder Video Embed 4K+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #1 ↑11 1 too high 3 Iptanus File Upload 10K+ · 4.4★ (117) wp.org #5 ↑1 2 too low 4 Secure Copy Content Protection and Content Locking 20K+ · 4.3★ (62) wp.org #4 ↓2 5 Highlight Search Terms 6K+ · 5.0★ (40) wp.org #6 ↓3 1 too low 6 Anti-Spam, Spam FireWall by CleanTalk 200K+ · 4.8★ (3220) wp.org #15 ↓4 9 too low 7 Admin Custom Login 10K+ · 4.6★ (388) wp.org #12 ↓3 5 too low 8 Conditional Display for Mobile – Mobile Detect Plugin 1K+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #3 5 too high 9 Event Calendar – Calendar 2K+ · 4.7★ (107) wp.org #14 ↓4 5 too low 10 WP BrowserUpdate 1K+ · 4.6★ (16) wp.org #9 ↓2 1 too high 11 Social LikeBox & Feed 10K+ · 3.3★ (47) wp.org #10 ↓2 1 too high 12 WP-WebAuthn 2K+ · 4.5★ (17) wp.org #8 ↓4 4 too high 13 Flipbox – Awesomes Flip Boxes Image Overlay 9K+ · 4.7★ (149) wp.org #20 ↓3 7 too low 14 Music Player for WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.8★ (61) wp.org #23 ↓2 9 too low 15 Slash Admin 500+ · 5.0★ (9) wp.org #11 4 too high 16 Grids: Layout builder for WordPress 2K+ · 5.0★ (21) wp.org #22 ↓3 6 too low 17 F Fast Smooth Scroll 800+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #7 ↓2 10 too high 18 Image Slider 4K+ · 3.4★ (31) wp.org #16 ↓2 2 too high 19 iZooto – Web Push Notifications 900+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #18 ↓2 1 too high 20 Slidr 60+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #13 7 too high 21 Cursor Style & Animation 70+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #21 ↓3 22 Gallery for Social Photo 300+ · 4.0★ (3) wp.org #17 ↓4 5 too high 23 Contact Form Plugin 2K+ · 2.8★ (17) wp.org #24 ↓4 1 too low 24 Selection Lite 9K+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #19 ↓4 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.