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

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 “lawyers”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 of the top 20. 3 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

GDPR Tools: comment ip removement shows at wp.org #6 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 16 places. Its 2K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

WP Reset places #5 on merit, 4.8★ from 1014 reviews, but shows at wp.org #11. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Maintenance 1M+ · 4.4★ (869) wp.org #1 2 Under Construction 600K+ · 4.8★ (1285) wp.org #2 3 D Disable Emojis (GDPR friendly) 60K+ · 5.0★ (108) wp.org #4 ↓1 1 too low 4 Sticky Menu & Sticky Header 90K+ · 4.7★ (763) wp.org #7 ↓3 3 too low 5 WP Reset 300K+ · 4.8★ (1014) wp.org #11 ↓2 6 too low 6 TermsFeed AutoTerms: Privacy Policy Generator, Cookie Consent, GDPR, CCPA, Terms & Conditions, Disclaimers, Cookies Policy, EULA 70K+ · 4.7★ (246) wp.org #10 ↓2 4 too low 7 Htaccess File Editor – Safely Edit Htaccess File 40K+ · 5.0★ (102) wp.org #9 ↓2 2 too low 8 Simple Author Box 90K+ · 4.3★ (115) wp.org #5 3 too high 9 WP YouTube Lyte 20K+ · 4.8★ (206) wp.org #13 ↓2 4 too low 10 Minimal Coming Soon – Coming Soon Page 100K+ · 4.3★ (282) wp.org #12 ↓2 2 too low 11 GDPR tools: Cookie notice + privacy 5K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #3 8 too high 12 Simply Schedule Appointments 50K+ · 5.0★ (155) wp.org #14 ↑4 2 too low 13 301 Redirects & 404 Error Log 30K+ · 4.6★ (28) wp.org #8 ↓2 5 too high 14 Royal Addons for Elementor – Addons and Templates Kit for Elementor 600K+ · 4.8★ (612) wp.org #19 ↓5 5 too low 15 HivePress – Business Directory, Listings & Classified Ads Plugin 10K+ · 4.9★ (221) wp.org #21 ↓1 6 too low 16 Classified Listing – AI-Powered Classified ads & Business Directory 9K+ · 4.8★ (138) wp.org #16 ↓1 17 Responsive Team Members Showcase, Team Grid, Team Slider, and Staff List – Smart Team (formerly WP Team) 5K+ · 4.7★ (92) wp.org #23 ↓2 6 too low 18 Easy Appointments 10K+ · 4.3★ (131) wp.org #15 ↑1 3 too high 19 External Links – nofollow, noopener & new window 90K+ · 4.3★ (247) wp.org #17 ↓4 2 too high 20 Privacy Policy Generator, Terms & Conditions, GDPR, CCPA, Cookie Policy & Disclaimer Templates – WPLP Legal Pages 10K+ · 4.7★ (93) wp.org #24 ↓2 4 too low 21 WP Frontend Delete Account 4K+ · 4.6★ (27) wp.org #20 ↓3 1 too high 22 GDPR Tools: comment ip removement 2K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #6 16 too high 23 getLaw WP API Client 600+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #18 ↓6 5 too high 24 Inspiro Starter Sites – 20+ Free Demo Templates for Gutenberg & Elementor 10K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #22 ↓3 2 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.