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

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 “iptc”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 6 of the top 20. 3 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

JSM Adobe XMP / IPTC for WordPress shows at wp.org #3 but places #8 on merit, a gap of 5 places. Its 70+ 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.

merit plugin wp.org
1 W WP Photo Album Plus 10K+ · 4.7★ (199) wp.org #1 2 Media Library Assistant 70K+ · 4.8★ (202) wp.org #2 3 Image Watermark 40K+ · 4.2★ (298) wp.org #4 1 too low 4 Media Library Organizer – Folders, File Manager & Media Categories 20K+ · 4.7★ (150) wp.org #5 1 too low 5 Optimus – WordPress Image Optimizer 30K+ · 4.2★ (69) wp.org #6 1 too low 6 Image Source Control Lite – Show Image Credits and Captions 3K+ · 4.6★ (42) wp.org #9 3 too low 7 MMWW 200+ · 4.5★ (11) wp.org #7 8 JSM Adobe XMP / IPTC for WordPress 70+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #3 5 too high 9 SEO’n’AI – AI Image check&mark 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #8 1 too high 10 Enfants IMG Performer 40+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #18 ↓1 8 too low 11 Virtual Media Folders 300+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #10 1 too high 12 Add EXIF and IPTC meta data to Attachment Post 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #11 1 too high 13 Bulk Export Import Images SEO Attributes 20+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #19 6 too low 14 PhotoPress 100+ · 3.7★ (3) wp.org #13 1 too high 15 One Step AI Image Marker 60+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #15 ↑4 16 Image AI Labels 80+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #12 4 too high 17 TransparAI: EU AI Act Compliance, AI Disclosure & AI Image Detection 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #16 1 too high 18 AIM Transparency – AI Disclosure for EU AI Act 90+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 ↓2 1 too high 19 Zamok – Security and Site Tools 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #14 5 too high 20 F Force use of ImageMagick image library 90+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 ↓4 21 Radermacher AI Media Marker 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 ↓3 22 Bender – Mosaic Image Protection — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #22 ↓2 23 SMiLE Basic Web 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #24 ↓2 1 too low 24 I Image Meta 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 ↓2 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.