wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “jquery”
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 “jquery”, we agree with wp.org 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.
Ranked above its merit
jQuery Image Lazy Load WP shows at wp.org #5 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 700+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.1★ average from 14 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Better Find and Replace – AI-Powered Suggestions places #10 on merit, 4.6★ from 171 reviews, but shows at wp.org #20. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Jquery Validation For Contact Form 7 8K+ · 4.6★ (87)
wp.org #2 3 
Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ · 4.7★ (1668)
wp.org #3 ↑1 4 
jQuery Smooth Scroll 10K+ · 4.5★ (47)
wp.org #4 ↓1 5 
WP Armour – Honeypot Anti Spam 400K+ · 5.0★ (1471)
wp.org #10 ↓1 5 too low 6 
Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (587)
wp.org #9 ↓1 3 too low 7 
LightPress Lightbox 40K+ · 4.6★ (72) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #6 ↓1 1 too high 8 
jQuery Post Splitter 100+ · 4.6★ (37)
wp.org #8 ↑4 9 
Schema & Structured Data for WP & AMP 100K+ · 4.5★ (252) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #11 ↓1 2 too low 10 Better Find and Replace – AI-Powered Suggestions 40K+ · 4.6★ (171)
wp.org #20 ↑4 10 too low 11 W WP FullCalendar 8K+ · 4.7★ (96)
wp.org #16 ↑1 5 too low 12 
Animate It! 20K+ · 4.9★ (127)
wp.org #22 10 too low 13 
WP Datepicker 6K+ · 4.8★ (37)
wp.org #14 1 too low 14 
Make Column Clickable for Elementor 100K+ · 4.9★ (53)
wp.org #18 4 too low 15 
JS Categories List Widget 1K+ · 4.8★ (15) thin reviews
wp.org #12 ↑1 3 too high 16 
Nexter Blocks – Gutenberg Blocks, Page Builder & AI Website Builder 9K+ · 4.8★ (90) heavy footprint
wp.org #21 5 too low 17 
CMB2 300K+ · 5.0★ (91) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #15 ↓1 2 too high 18 J jQuery Image Lazy Load WP 700+ · 3.1★ (14) thin reviewslow rating, top placement
wp.org #5 ↑2 13 too high 19 T Test jQuery Updates 1K+ · 4.4★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #7 ↓1 12 too high 20 
Image Hotspot by DevVN 20K+ · 4.3★ (29)
wp.org #24 ↓3 4 too low 21 
Version Control for jQuery 5K+ · 4.9★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #13 ↓2 8 too high 22 
Block Plugin Update 5K+ · 4.4★ (19) thin reviews
wp.org #19 ↑1 3 too high 23 
WP Sort Order 6K+ · 4.5★ (17) thin reviews
wp.org #23 24 
Gutena Tabs 6K+ · 5.0★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #17 ↑1 7 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.