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

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 “julian”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 16 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

Send Denial shows at wp.org #9 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 300+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Content Blocks (Custom Post Widget) places #5 on merit, 4.9★ from 80 reviews, but shows at wp.org #21. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Post Pay Counter 1K+ · 4.8★ (46) wp.org #1 2 RootsPersona 400+ · 4.6★ (17) wp.org #2 3 O One Page Express Companion 10K+ · 4.7★ (11) wp.org #4 1 too low 4 WPSummarize – AI Summaries with key takeaways for your posts 100+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #5 1 too low 5 Content Blocks (Custom Post Widget) 10K+ · 4.9★ (80) wp.org #21 16 too low 6 CP Media Player – Audio Player and Video Player 3K+ · 4.4★ (46) wp.org #20 14 too low 7 Ocean Custom Sidebar 20K+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #13 6 too low 8 Ocean Modal Window 10K+ · 4.8★ (11) wp.org #19 11 too low 9 Ocean Social Sharing 60K+ · 4.5★ (11) wp.org #14 5 too low 10 Apollo13 Framework Extensions 20K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #3 7 too high 11 Ocean Posts Slider 10K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #17 6 too low 12 System Dashboard 900+ · 4.9★ (16) wp.org #22 10 too low 13 Nova Blocks by Pixelgrade 800+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #6 7 too high 14 P Pleasant Viewer 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #7 7 too high 15 Serious Slider 20K+ · 3.4★ (8) wp.org #18 3 too low 16 DMK Animation Engine for Elementor — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #10 6 too high 17 Binimuse Geʽez Calendar — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #11 6 too high 18 Pattern Paste: Block Patterns for Any Block Theme — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #12 6 too high 19 Ocean Product Sharing 20K+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #15 4 too high 20 Divit Payment Gateway 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #8 12 too high 21 FreshenUp — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #16 5 too high 22 Send Denial 300+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #9 13 too high 23 Wpit Easter 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 24 Media Library Image Gallery 90+ · 5.0★ (1) 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.