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

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 “keystroke”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 of the top 20. 1 plugin is 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

Academy Starter Templates shows at wp.org #19 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 5 places. Its 300+ installs carry it up the search order; its 1.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Custom HTML Block Extension 7K+ · 5.0★ (13) wp.org #1 2 CartFlows – Funnel Builder & Checkout Plugin for WooCommerce 200K+ · 4.8★ (517) wp.org #3 ↓1 1 too low 3 ActiveLayer Anti-Spam: Spam Protection for Forms & Comments 10K+ · 4.9★ (10) wp.org #2 ↑1 1 too high 4 OpenStation – Admin Dashboard Notes, Custom Dashboard, AI Assistant & PWA 1K+ · 5.0★ (23) wp.org #8 4 too low 5 AI Search for WooCommerce — Semantic & Live Search 90+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #5 6 Address Validation and Autocomplete for WooCommerce | Addressfinder 900+ · 4.3★ (6) wp.org #4 2 too high 7 ELEX WooCommerce Address Validation & Google Address Autocomplete Plugin 700+ · 4.2★ (10) wp.org #6 1 too high 8 DarkMySite – Advanced Dark Mode Plugin for WordPress 900+ · 4.7★ (14) wp.org #13 ↑1 5 too low 9 Majestic Support – The Leading-Edge Help Desk & Customer Support Plugin 3K+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #10 ↑2 1 too low 10 AI Product Search for WooCommerce – Motive Commerce Search 300+ · 4.6★ (10) wp.org #9 ↑1 1 too high 11 Consistency – Typography Corrector for Gutenberg 70+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #7 4 too high 12 Dashboard Navigator 10+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #12 ↑1 13 Todo List Block 300+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #17 ↑1 4 too low 14 ShortCut and Dummy Text Generator – build block layouts in seconds 50+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #14 ↑2 15 Skip Links for Menus 80+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #11 4 too high 16 Saudi Address Pro 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #15 1 too high 17 Lineate — Poetry Blocks 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 ↑1 3 too low 18 iPad Rubberneck Disrupter 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #16 ↑1 2 too high 19 CommerScope – Behavioural Analytics for Woo 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 ↑1 2 too low 20 RankShield — Ranking & Ad-Spend Attack Protection 30+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 ↑1 2 too low 21 ChargeForms — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 ↑1 2 too low 22 TimeQuota – User Time Limits — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #18 ↑1 4 too high 23 Nexura Security — Malware Scanner, Firewall, 2FA & WordPress Security 10+ · 3.0★ (2) wp.org #24 1 too low 24 Academy Starter Templates 300+ · 1.0★ (1) wp.org #19 ↑1 5 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.