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← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “json formatter”

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 “json formatter”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 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

Tussendoor – Open RDW shows at wp.org #7 but places #15 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 500+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.3★ average from 4 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Notification for Telegram places #6 on merit, 4.9★ from 71 reviews, but shows at wp.org #19. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Uncanny Automator – AI + Automation for WordPress | AI Agent, AI Page Builder, Free AI Usage Included 40K+ · 4.9★ (157) wp.org #2 1 too low 2 FakerPress 10K+ · 4.9★ (205) wp.org #5 3 too low 3 Blockenberg — 645 Advanced Gutenberg Blocks, 683 Templates and AI Agent for WordPress Block Editor 1K+ · 4.6★ (5) wp.org #1 2 too high 4 Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408) wp.org #12 ↑2 8 too low 5 Custom Contact Forms 6K+ · 3.5★ (171) wp.org #13 8 too low 6 Notification for Telegram 4K+ · 4.9★ (71) wp.org #19 ↓2 13 too low 7 Footnotes & Content 100+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #6 1 too high 8 Query All The Post Types 30+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #4 4 too high 9 jsonyo — JSON Toolkit — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #3 6 too high 10 WooPayments: Integrated WooCommerce Payments 800K+ · 3.4★ (177) wp.org #20 ↓1 10 too low 11 HuxxConnect – REST API Connector for WordPress 20+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #10 1 too high 12 Init View Count – AI-Powered, Trending, REST API 80+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #15 3 too low 13 Format JSON Online — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #8 5 too high 14 BaseCloud UTM Tracker 90+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #16 2 too low 15 Tussendoor – Open RDW 500+ · 3.3★ (4) wp.org #7 8 too high 16 MHM Currency Switcher 10+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #17 ↑1 1 too low 17 TheLaTeXLab – Citations & Bibliography 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #9 8 too high 18 Agentic Optimization – SEO for AI Agents 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #14 ↓3 4 too high 19 Advanced Gallery & Repeater Fields for ACF 600+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #11 ↑1 8 too high 20 AiutoComputerHelp Live Request Monitor — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #18 2 too high 21 Zaplane – AI Agent Automation & Workflow Builder — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 22 Doohickey's Dev Tools — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 ↓2 23 KROK LLMs Transit — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 ↓2 24 RaCar Checkout Manager for Brazilian Stores 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #24 ↓1

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.