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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “invite link”

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 “invite link”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 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 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

Syndication Links shows at wp.org #8 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 300+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 5 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

BlogVault Backup & Staging places #9 on merit, 4.6★ from 332 reviews, but shows at wp.org #14. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Chatway Live Chat – AI Chatbot, Customer Support, FAQ & Helpdesk Customer Service & Chat Buttons 30K+ · 5.0★ (775) wp.org #4 3 too low 2 Simple Link Directory – AI Powered 2K+ · 4.8★ (121) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 WP-Members Membership Plugin 50K+ · 4.6★ (272) wp.org #5 2 too low 4 WP Discord Invite 400+ · 4.6★ (7) wp.org #1 3 too high 5 Templately – Elementor & Gutenberg Template Library: 6500+ Free & Pro Ready Templates And Cloud! 300K+ · 5.0★ (383) wp.org #7 2 too low 6 Affiliate Program Suite — SliceWP Affiliates 10K+ · 4.9★ (111) wp.org #6 7 User Registration & Membership – Free & Paid Memberships, Subscriptions, Content Restriction, User Profile, Custom User Registration & Login Builder 50K+ · 4.8★ (832) wp.org #9 ↑1 2 too low 8 Translate WordPress with Weglot 2.0 – Multilingual AI Translation 50K+ · 4.8★ (1940) wp.org #12 4 too low 9 BlogVault Backup & Staging 80K+ · 4.6★ (332) wp.org #14 5 too low 10 All in One Invite Codes 200+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #2 8 too high 11 Password Protected 300K+ · 4.4★ (142) wp.org #15 4 too low 12 Pie Register – User Registration, Profiles & Content Restriction 1K+ · 4.2★ (222) wp.org #16 4 too low 13 YITH WooCommerce Wishlist 400K+ · 3.9★ (262) wp.org #11 2 too high 14 AutomatorWP – No-Code Workflow Automation, Integration & Webhooks Plugin, now with AI 6K+ · 4.8★ (202) wp.org #23 ↓1 9 too low 15 New User Approve 20K+ · 4.3★ (131) wp.org #20 ↓1 5 too low 16 I Invite Anyone 1K+ · 4.3★ (26) wp.org #10 ↓1 6 too high 17 GamiPress – Gamification plugin to reward points, badges & ranks in WordPress, now with AI 10K+ · 4.9★ (493) wp.org #24 ↓1 7 too low 18 Refer A Friend for WooCommerce by WPGens 1K+ · 4.9★ (39) wp.org #18 ↓1 19 Coupon Affiliates – Affiliate Plugin for WooCommerce 5K+ · 4.9★ (77) wp.org #19 ↓1 20 Syndication Links 300+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #8 12 too high 21 InstaWP Connect – 1-click WP Staging & Migration 40K+ · 4.5★ (12) wp.org #22 ↓1 1 too low 22 YITH WooCommerce Ajax Search 30K+ · 3.0★ (42) wp.org #17 ↓1 5 too high 23 Custom Thank You Page for WooCommerce 2K+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #21 ↓1 2 too high 24 SureMembers – Membership & Content Restriction Plugin 2K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #13 11 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.