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

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 “item”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 17 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.

Ranked above its merit

GetPaid > Item Inventory shows at wp.org #4 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 17 places. Its 500+ 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.

Buried gem

Polylang places #9 on merit, 4.7★ from 3004 reviews, but shows at wp.org #24. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423) wp.org #8 6 too low 3

WooCommerce 7M+ · 4.5★ (4833) throws errorsnot PHP-currentheavy footprint wp.org #5 2 too low 4

TranslatePress – Translate Multilingual sites with AI Translation 400K+ · 4.7★ (1667) wp.org #10 6 too low 5 M Menu Item Duplicator 2K+ · 3.8★ (13) thin reviews wp.org #2 3 too high 6

Max Mega Menu 300K+ · 4.8★ (882) wp.org #12 ↑1 6 too low 7

Nav Menu Roles 70K+ · 4.9★ (219) wp.org #16 ↑6 9 too low 8

Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (588) wp.org #18 ↓3 10 too low 9

Polylang 900K+ · 4.7★ (3004) wp.org #24 15 too low 10

Media Library Assistant 70K+ · 4.8★ (202) wp.org #21 11 too low 11

Item Lists for Elementor 1K+ · 4.2★ (5) thin reviews wp.org #3 8 too high 12 W WP Photo Album Plus 10K+ · 4.7★ (199) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #19 7 too low 13

Back In Stock Notifier for WooCommerce | WooCommerce Waitlist Pro 20K+ · 4.7★ (122) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #17 4 too low 14

Easy Hide Admin Menu Items 1K+ · 5.0★ (14) thin reviews wp.org #13 ↓1 1 too high 15

Purchased Items Column for WooCommerce Orders 700+ · 5.0★ (9) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #9 6 too high 16

Export Order Items for WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.7★ (9) thin reviews wp.org #11 5 too high 17

Product Bundle Builder for WooCommerce 6K+ · 4.8★ (61) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #23 6 too low 18

Menu Item Types 100+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews wp.org #7 11 too high 19

WooCommerce Stripe Payment Gateway 700K+ · 3.1★ (237) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #22 ↓4 3 too low 20

Missing Menu Items 100+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews wp.org #15 ↓1 5 too high 21

GetPaid > Item Inventory 500+ · 0.0★ (0) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviewslow rating, top placement wp.org #4 17 too high 22 B BASE Item List 700+ · 4.0★ (2) thin reviews wp.org #6 16 too high 23

Hide Menu Items by Role 100+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews wp.org #14 ↑2 9 too high 24

Drag & Drop Menu Items 60+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews wp.org #20 ↓3 4 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.