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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “learning management system”

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 “learning management system”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 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

LearnPress – Prerequisites Courses shows at wp.org #11 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 5K+ 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

Use Any Font | Custom Font Uploader places #9 on merit, 4.7★ from 1148 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 Masteriyo LMS – LMS Course Builder, Quizzes & Certificates 6K+ · 4.8★ (184) wp.org #1 2 Tutor LMS – eLearning and online course solution 100K+ · 4.4★ (590) wp.org #2 3 MasterStudy LMS WordPress Plugin – for Online Courses and Education 10K+ · 4.5★ (487) wp.org #3 4 LearnPress – WordPress LMS Plugin for Create and Sell Online Courses 70K+ · 4.3★ (597) wp.org #4 5 Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5040) wp.org #5 6 LifterLMS – WP LMS for eLearning, Online Courses, & Quizzes 10K+ · 4.8★ (393) wp.org #7 1 too low 7 WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance 1M+ · 4.8★ (2617) wp.org #9 ↓1 2 too low 8 SupportCandy – AI Customer Support Ticket System & Live Chatbot Agent 10K+ · 4.9★ (289) wp.org #14 ↑10 6 too low 9 Use Any Font | Custom Font Uploader 200K+ · 4.7★ (1148) wp.org #18 ↑4 9 too low 10 Fluent Support – Helpdesk & Customer Support Ticket System 10K+ · 4.6★ (69) wp.org #12 ↑1 2 too low 11 The School Management – Education & Learning ERP 700+ · 4.5★ (15) wp.org #6 5 too high 12 FluentCRM – Email Newsletter, Automation, Email Marketing, Email Campaigns, Optins, Leads, and CRM Solution 80K+ · 4.8★ (250) wp.org #19 7 too low 13 Eventin – Events Calendar, Tickets, Registration, Booking & WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.7★ (413) wp.org #23 10 too low 14 FluentCommunity – Ultra-Fast High-Performance Social Network, Community, LMS & Online Courses 8K+ · 4.8★ (96) wp.org #22 ↓4 8 too low 15 ProctoPress : Quiz/Exam Proctoring For Learning Management System(LMS) 100+ · 5.0★ (11) wp.org #10 5 too high 16 KiviCare – Clinic & Patient Management System (EHR) 1K+ · 3.6★ (23) wp.org #8 ↑1 8 too high 17 Paymattic – Secure, Simple Payment & Donation with Subscription Payments, Recurring Donations, Customer Management 3K+ · 4.8★ (44) wp.org #24 7 too low 18 Educare – Students & Result Management System 600+ · 4.6★ (24) wp.org #21 ↓1 3 too low 19 Tutor LMS Elementor Addons 30K+ · 3.5★ (8) wp.org #15 4 too high 20 LearnPress – Backup & Migration Tool 5K+ · 3.0★ (16) wp.org #20 ↓1 21 LifterLMS Labs 2K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #16 5 too high 22 LearnPress – Course Wishlist 10K+ · 3.7★ (3) wp.org #13 ↑1 9 too high 23 LearnPress – Prerequisites Courses 5K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #11 ↑1 12 too high 24 LearnPress – Course Review 20K+ · 2.5★ (8) 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.