wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “jquery validation”
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 validation”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 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
UK Address Postcode Validation shows at wp.org #3 but places #15 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 700+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Conditional Fields for Contact Form 7 places #11 on merit, 4.8★ from 166 reviews, but shows at wp.org #17. 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 #1 2 
WP Armour – Honeypot Anti Spam 400K+ · 5.0★ (1472)
wp.org #2 3 
PDF Invoices & Packing Slips for WooCommerce 300K+ · 5.0★ (1865)
wp.org #6 3 too low 4 
Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ · 4.7★ (1667)
wp.org #5 1 too low 5 
Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (588)
wp.org #7 2 too low 6 
Flexible Checkout Fields for WooCommerce – WooCommerce Checkout Manager 80K+ · 4.7★ (296)
wp.org #9 ↓2 3 too low 7 
Block Plugin Update 5K+ · 4.4★ (19) thin reviews
wp.org #4 3 too high 8 
SVG Support 1M+ · 4.8★ (356)
wp.org #10 ↑2 2 too low 9 
Drag and Drop Multiple File Upload for Contact Form 7 60K+ · 4.8★ (94)
wp.org #12 ↓1 3 too low 10 
Redux Framework 900K+ · 4.4★ (273)
wp.org #11 ↓2 1 too low 11 Conditional Fields for Contact Form 7 100K+ · 4.8★ (166)
wp.org #17 ↓7 6 too low 12 
WC Fields Factory 7K+ · 4.3★ (168)
wp.org #16 ↓2 4 too low 13 
Smart Grid-Layout Design for Contact Form 7 10K+ · 4.5★ (72)
wp.org #15 ↑7 2 too low 14 
WP Datepicker 6K+ · 4.8★ (37)
wp.org #13 1 too high 15 UK Address Postcode Validation 700+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #3 12 too high 16 
Contact Form Clean and Simple 7K+ · 4.7★ (195)
wp.org #21 ↓4 5 too low 17 
Better Find and Replace – AI-Powered Suggestions 40K+ · 4.6★ (171)
wp.org #22 ↓4 5 too low 18 
Gutena Forms – Contact Form, Survey Form, Feedback Form, Booking Form, and Custom Form Builder 20K+ · 4.5★ (11) thin reviews
wp.org #8 10 too high 19 
BrikPanel: WooCommerce Dashboard & Analytics, Abandoned Cart Recovery, Order Export, Inventory Management & Bulk Editor 1K+ · 5.0★ (55)
wp.org #18 1 too high 20 
Make Column Clickable for Elementor 100K+ · 4.9★ (53)
wp.org #19 1 too high 21 
WP Sort Order 6K+ · 4.5★ (17) thin reviews
wp.org #23 ↓3 2 too low 22 
Custom Datepicker NMR 1K+ · 4.6★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #14 ↓1 8 too high 23 
Gutena Tabs 6K+ · 5.0★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #20 ↓4 3 too high 24 
Caddy – WooCommerce Side Cart & Free Shipping Bar 3K+ · 3.9★ (20) thin reviews
wp.org #24 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.