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

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 “itthinx”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 5 of the top 20.

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

Affiliates Contact Form 7 Integration shows at wp.org #8 but places #13 on merit, a gap of 5 places. Its 200+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

OAuth Single Sign On – SSO (OAuth Client) places #6 on merit, 4.9★ from 327 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 Groups – Memberships and Access Control 10K+ · 4.8★ (382) wp.org #1 2 Affiliates 2K+ · 4.5★ (137) wp.org #5 3 too low 3 Decent Comments 1K+ · 4.6★ (20) wp.org #3 4 Affiliates WooCommerce Light 1K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #2 2 too high 5 Coupon Shortcodes for WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.9★ (17) wp.org #4 1 too high 6 OAuth Single Sign On – SSO (OAuth Client) 6K+ · 4.9★ (327) wp.org #14 8 too low 7 Widgets Control 800+ · 4.7★ (15) wp.org #6 1 too high 8 Search Live 600+ · 5.0★ (30) wp.org #11 3 too low 9 Open Graph Protocol Framework 3K+ · 4.3★ (15) wp.org #7 2 too high 10 Documentation – Build a Knowledge Base, Help Center or Wiki 100+ · 4.7★ (12) wp.org #9 1 too high 11 Groups 404 Redirect 1K+ · 4.6★ (10) wp.org #10 1 too high 12 Product Generator for WooCommerce 300+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #12 13 Affiliates Contact Form 7 Integration 200+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #8 5 too high 14 Affiliate 30+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #15 1 too low 15 InstaPunchout 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #16 1 too low 16 FrankenCookie 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #13 3 too high 17 Groups bbPress 30+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 18 Affiliates Import 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #18 19 Affiliates BuddyPress 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #19 20 Affiliates Events Manager 40+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 21 Affiliates Formidable 40+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 22 Affiliates Ninja Forms 50+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 1 too low 23 Affiliates reCAPTCHA 40+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #24 1 too low 24 Groups Blog Protect 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #22 2 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.