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← Rankings

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

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 “latitude”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 of the top 20. 4 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

SnappBox shows at wp.org #9 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 400+ 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

JetFormBuilder — Dynamic Blocks Form Builder places #10 on merit, 4.2★ from 72 reviews, but shows at wp.org #23. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 WP Map Block – Google Maps, OpenStreetMap, Mapbox, Store & Shop Locator, Directory, Listings & Filters 20K+ · 4.0★ (20) wp.org #1 2 Leaflet Map 30K+ · 4.9★ (58) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 WP Maps – Google Maps, OpenStreetMap, Mapbox, Store Locator with Search, Filters & Listings 60K+ · 4.3★ (122) wp.org #4 1 too low 4 CMB2 300K+ · 5.0★ (91) wp.org #8 ↑1 4 too low 5 Mapster WP Maps 3K+ · 4.9★ (54) wp.org #10 5 too low 6 Tuskcode Map Pro for Bing Maps 600+ · 4.8★ (19) wp.org #7 1 too low 7 Track Geolocation Of Users Using Contact Form 7 800+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #2 5 too high 8 B BP xProfile Location 500+ · 4.4★ (10) wp.org #5 3 too high 9 EventPrime – Events Calendar, Bookings, Tickets & AI 7K+ · 4.4★ (85) wp.org #14 ↓1 5 too low 10 JetFormBuilder — Dynamic Blocks Form Builder 80K+ · 4.2★ (72) wp.org #23 ↑1 13 too low 11 Address Autocomplete Anything – Google Address Autocomplete for Any Form 900+ · 5.0★ (16) wp.org #18 7 too low 12 VenoMaps – OpenStreetMap & Privacy-Friendly Geo Maps 400+ · 4.2★ (5) wp.org #11 ↑1 1 too high 13 MMWW 200+ · 4.5★ (11) wp.org #24 ↓4 11 too low 14 IP Geolocation 200+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #12 ↓1 2 too high 15 User IP and Location 3K+ · 4.2★ (9) wp.org #22 7 too low 16 Simple Location 300+ · 4.6★ (8) wp.org #20 4 too low 17 WPSSO Schema Organization and Place Manager 300+ · 4.3★ (3) wp.org #6 11 too high 18 Under The Weather 60+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #19 1 too low 19 CBX Map for Google Map & OpenStreetMap 800+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #21 2 too low 20 Latitude Payment App Gateway for WooCommerce 50+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #16 ↓1 4 too high 21 SnappBox 400+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #9 ↓1 12 too high 22 Celestial Lunar Phase Widget 50+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #15 ↑1 7 too high 23 International Telephone Field For Elementor Form 300+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #13 ↑1 10 too high 24 WP All Import – Property Import for RealHomes 700+ · 4.0★ (2) wp.org #17 7 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.