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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “kick api”

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 “kick api”, we and wp.org disagree 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

ATmosphere shows at wp.org #7 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 300+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

WPZOOM Connect: Social Icons Widget & Block, Share Buttons & Click to Chat places #9 on merit, 4.9★ from 144 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 WP Mail SMTP by WPForms – SMTP for Reliable Email Delivery with Gmail, Outlook, Amazon SES, Brevo, Other SMTP & More 4M+ · 4.8★ (5209) wp.org #2 1 too low 2 Wp-Insert 9K+ · 4.5★ (142) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 10Web Booster – Website speed optimization, Cache & Page Speed optimizer 60K+ · 4.6★ (405) wp.org #6 ↑1 3 too low 4 Loggedin – Session Manager, Limit Concurrent Logins & Force Logout 8K+ · 4.9★ (112) wp.org #5 1 too low 5 URL Shortify – Simple and Easy URL Shortener 10K+ · 4.7★ (169) wp.org #10 5 too low 6 StreamWeasels Kick Integration 80+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #1 5 too high 7 Superb Addons: Blocks, Patterns, Pre-built Pages, Sliders, Popups, Free Forms, Animations & More 80K+ · 4.9★ (23) wp.org #9 2 too low 8 Gratisfaction- Loyalty, Rewards , Referral, Birthday and Giveaway Program 600+ · 4.8★ (205) wp.org #18 10 too low 9 WPZOOM Connect: Social Icons Widget & Block, Share Buttons & Click to Chat 90K+ · 4.9★ (144) wp.org #21 12 too low 10 Patreon WordPress 3K+ · 3.4★ (55) wp.org #8 2 too high 11 The Cache Purger 1K+ · 4.5★ (6) wp.org #4 7 too high 12 BlockArt Blocks – Gutenberg Blocks, Page Builder Blocks ,WordPress Block Plugin, Sections & Template Library 10K+ · 4.9★ (16) wp.org #12 13 StreamWeasels Twitch Integration 1K+ · 4.8★ (23) wp.org #14 ↑1 1 too low 14 Code Engine – PHP Snippets, AI Functions & Automation for WordPress 800+ · 5.0★ (9) wp.org #13 1 too high 15 Jovvie Point of Sale POS for WooCommerce 100+ · 4.5★ (22) wp.org #19 4 too low 16 Gratisfaction- Contests Giveaways Referral Loyalty Rewards and Birthdays Program 20+ · 5.0★ (16) wp.org #23 ↓1 7 too low 17 Riddle Quiz Maker – easily add quizzes with unlimited lead generation to your site 200+ · 4.6★ (9) wp.org #15 ↓1 2 too high 18 AI Search for WooCommerce — Semantic & Live Search 90+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #17 ↓1 1 too high 19 ATmosphere 300+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #7 ↓1 12 too high 20 FundPress – WordPress Donation Plugin 300+ · 3.8★ (4) wp.org #11 9 too high 21 Checkout Shield for WooCommerce – Stop Fake Orders, Spam Bots & Card Testing 400+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #22 ↓1 1 too low 22 Scry Search: Meilisearch for WordPress 40+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #16 ↑1 6 too high 23 Broadcast Live Video – Live Streaming : WebRTC, HLS, RTSP, RTMP 300+ · 2.7★ (14) wp.org #20 3 too high 24 Login with Vipps and MobilePay 900+ · 5.0★ (4) 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.