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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “large language model”

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 “large language model”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 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

LLMs.txt Builder shows at wp.org #13 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 30+ 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

Simple History – Track, Log, and Audit WordPress Changes places #12 on merit, 4.9★ from 491 reviews, but shows at wp.org #18. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI 10M+ · 4.8★ (27820) wp.org #1 2 TablePress – Tables in WordPress made easy 600K+ · 5.0★ (4625) wp.org #2 3 BackWPup – WordPress Backup & Restore Plugin 400K+ · 4.0★ (1323) wp.org #4 1 too low 4 WPVibe – MCP Server for WordPress, works with Claude, ChatGPT & other AI MCP agents 100K+ · 5.0★ (199) wp.org #5 1 too low 5 AI Engine – MCP Server & AI Chatbot for WordPress, with Claude, ChatGPT & Gemini 90K+ · 4.9★ (874) wp.org #7 2 too low 6 GiveWP – Donation Plugin and Fundraising Platform 100K+ · 4.6★ (708) wp.org #9 ↓3 3 too low 7 Website LLMs.txt 50K+ · 4.7★ (12) wp.org #3 4 too high 8 Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408) wp.org #8 9 MxChat – AI Chatbot & Content Generation for WordPress 2K+ · 5.0★ (31) wp.org #6 ↓1 3 too high 10 Imagify Image Optimization: Optimize Images | Compress & Convert to WebP/AVIF 900K+ · 4.3★ (1657) wp.org #11 ↓2 1 too low 11 CookieYes – Cookie Banner for Cookie Consent (Easy to setup GDPR/CCPA Compliant Cookie Notice) 1M+ · 4.8★ (3236) wp.org #16 ↓2 5 too low 12 Simple History – Track, Log, and Audit WordPress Changes 300K+ · 4.9★ (491) wp.org #18 ↓1 6 too low 13 ShortPixel Image Optimizer – Optimize Images, Convert WebP & AVIF 300K+ · 4.5★ (830) wp.org #19 ↑1 6 too low 14 BlockSpare – Gutenberg Blocks, AI Content Generator & Site Builder for news, magazine, blog and business sites 10K+ · 4.8★ (34) wp.org #24 ↓1 10 too low 15 AI 60K+ · 4.2★ (10) wp.org #12 ↓2 3 too high 16 AI Chatbot Free Models – Customer Support, Live Chat, Virtual Assistant 100+ · 5.0★ (10) wp.org #17 ↓1 1 too low 17 LovedByAI – GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) & AI SEO Plugin: AEO, llms.txt 1K+ · 4.4★ (5) wp.org #14 ↓3 3 too high 18 AI Provider for Ollama 300+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #10 ↓2 8 too high 19 MAIO – ChatGPT SEO Tracking & AI Search Optimization 90+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #21 ↓3 2 too low 20 Odyssey LLMS 300+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #15 5 too high 21 Meerkat Markdown for AI Visibility 70+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #22 ↓3 1 too low 22 LLMs.txt Builder 30+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #13 9 too high 23 TranslateRocket – Free Multilingual Translation, Unlimited Languages 90+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 3 too high 24 Alpaca Bot 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #23 ↓2 1 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.