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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “level 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 “level system”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 14 of the top 20. 1 plugin is 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

atec System Info shows at wp.org #11 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 200+ 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

MasterStudy LMS WordPress Plugin – for Online Courses and Education places #12 on merit, 4.5★ from 487 reviews, but shows at wp.org #19. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) wp.org #1 2 Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI 10M+ · 4.8★ (27821) wp.org #2 3 LiteSpeed Cache 7M+ · 4.8★ (2778) wp.org #3 4 Online Scheduling and Appointment Booking System – Bookly 60K+ · 4.4★ (586) wp.org #8 4 too low 5 WP Fastest Cache – WordPress Cache Plugin 1M+ · 4.9★ (4228) wp.org #9 4 too low 6 Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) 2M+ · 4.5★ (1440) wp.org #7 ↑10 1 too low 7 Disqus Comment System 30K+ · 2.7★ (219) wp.org #4 3 too high 8 GD Rating System 1K+ · 4.3★ (24) wp.org #5 ↑1 3 too high 9 SupportCandy – AI Customer Support Ticket System & Live Chatbot Agent 10K+ · 4.9★ (289) wp.org #15 ↑6 6 too low 10 Domain Mapping System | Create Microsites with Multiple Alias Domains (multisite optional) 2K+ · 4.5★ (56) wp.org #10 11 Fluent Support – Helpdesk & Customer Support Ticket System 10K+ · 4.6★ (69) wp.org #12 1 too low 12 MasterStudy LMS WordPress Plugin – for Online Courses and Education 10K+ · 4.5★ (487) wp.org #19 7 too low 13 Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (397) wp.org #23 10 too low 14 Points Management System For Gamification, Ranks, Badges, and Loyalty Rewards Program – myCred 10K+ · 4.6★ (472) wp.org #18 ↓13 4 too low 15 Tutor LMS – eLearning and online course solution 100K+ · 4.4★ (590) wp.org #20 ↓2 5 too low 16 Tickera – Sell Tickets & Manage Events 2K+ · 4.5★ (292) wp.org #22 ↑2 6 too low 17 VikRentCar Car Rental Management System 4K+ · 4.8★ (30) wp.org #21 ↓1 4 too low 18 Booking System Trafft 400+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #6 ↑1 12 too high 19 Breeze Cache 300K+ · 3.6★ (133) wp.org #24 ↓2 5 too low 20 WP-CRM System – Manage Clients and Projects 700+ · 3.9★ (15) wp.org #13 7 too high 21 KiviCare – Clinic & Patient Management System (EHR) 1K+ · 3.6★ (23) wp.org #16 5 too high 22 Popup builder with Gamification, Multi-Step Popups, Page-Level Targeting, and WooCommerce Triggers 70K+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #17 ↓2 5 too high 23 Library Management System 200+ · 4.4★ (14) wp.org #14 9 too high 24 atec System Info 200+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #11 13 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.