Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “launch checklist”

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 “launch checklist”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 15 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

RoutineKit – Repeatable WordPress Workflow Checklists for Agencies shows at wp.org #6 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 100+ installs carry it up the search order; its 0.0★ average from 0 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Quiz Builder for WooCommerce – Product Recommendations places #8 on merit, 5.0★ from 102 reviews, but shows at wp.org #16. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Starter Templates: AI-Powered Website Templates for Elementor & Gutenberg 1M+ · 4.9★ (4755) wp.org #3 2 too low 2 Listdom: AI-powered Business Directory with Classifieds Ads Listings 1K+ · 4.9★ (60) wp.org #4 2 too low 3 Responsive Menu – Mobile Menu & Hamburger Menu Builder 70K+ · 4.5★ (574) wp.org #7 4 too low 4 Xagio SEO & AEO – AI SEO for Google Rankings & AI Visibility 10K+ · 4.9★ (51) wp.org #5 1 too low 5 CartFlows – Funnel Builder & Checkout Plugin for WooCommerce 200K+ · 4.8★ (517) wp.org #8 3 too low 6 PublishPress Revisions: Duplicate Posts, Submit, Approve and Schedule Content Changes 10K+ · 4.6★ (66) wp.org #9 3 too low 7 Snow Monkey Blocks 30K+ · 4.4★ (7) wp.org #2 5 too high 8 Quiz Builder for WooCommerce – Product Recommendations 2K+ · 5.0★ (102) wp.org #16 8 too low 9 Stylish Price List – Price Table Builder & QR Code Restaurant Menu 3K+ · 4.7★ (117) wp.org #17 8 too low 10 Ellie’s Checklist 60+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #1 9 too high 11 Cozy Blocks – Website Builder & Business Growth Toolkit | Popups, Lead Forms & Inbox 6K+ · 4.6★ (21) wp.org #11 12 Responsive Blocks – Page Builder for Blocks & Patterns 3K+ · 4.8★ (17) wp.org #10 2 too high 13 Mail Mint – Email Marketing, Automation & WooCommerce Emails with AI Assistance 4K+ · 4.7★ (125) wp.org #24 11 too low 14 Copy Anything to Clipboard for WordPress – Copy Button, Copy Text & Copy Code 10K+ · 4.5★ (36) wp.org #19 ↑1 5 too low 15 Free Shipping Label and Progress Bar for WooCommerce 5K+ · 5.0★ (43) wp.org #22 7 too low 16 Customer Email Verification for WooCommerce – OTP Verification, Block Fake Signups 2K+ · 4.2★ (20) wp.org #13 3 too high 17 NIBWP – Self-Hosted MCP Server – Connect Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor & Any AI Agent via MCP 300+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #12 5 too high 18 RoutineKit – Repeatable WordPress Workflow Checklists for Agencies 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #6 12 too high 19 Blockenberg — 645 Advanced Gutenberg Blocks, 683 Templates and AI Agent for WordPress Block Editor 1K+ · 4.6★ (5) wp.org #21 2 too low 20 Noshi-Kanamer – WordPress Pre-Launch Checklist & Client Handoff Toolkit — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #14 6 too high 21 NoteFlow – Notes, Checklists & Team Collaboration 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #15 6 too high 22 Wexlab Website Launch Checker — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #18 ↑1 4 too high 23 Launch Checklist 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 ↓2 3 too high 24 Angry Launch Guard — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 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.