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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “like button”

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 “like button”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 14 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

Button Block – Stylish buttons that get more clicks shows at wp.org #5 but places #14 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 5K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 7 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Chatway Live Chat – AI Chatbot, Customer Support, FAQ & Helpdesk Customer Service & Chat Buttons places #10 on merit, 5.0★ from 775 reviews, but shows at wp.org #24. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 WP ULike – Like Buttons, Voting & Engagement Analytics 60K+ · 4.8★ (283) wp.org #1 2 Like Button Rating ♥ LikeBtn 3K+ · 4.4★ (273) wp.org #2 3 Call Now Button – The Free Click to Call Button for WordPress 200K+ · 4.8★ (102) wp.org #3 4 Floating Chat Widget: Contact Chat Icons, Telegram Chat, Line Messenger, WeChat, Email, SMS, Call Button – Chaty 300K+ · 5.0★ (1244) wp.org #13 ↑5 9 too low 5 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) wp.org #9 ↑3 4 too low 6 Easy Social Like Box – Popup – Sidebar Widget 6K+ · 4.4★ (18) wp.org #4 2 too high 7 MaxButtons – Create buttons 70K+ · 4.9★ (1093) wp.org #19 12 too low 8 AddToAny Share Buttons 300K+ · 4.7★ (1114) wp.org #11 ↓1 3 too low 9 Posts Like Dislike 5K+ · 4.3★ (23) wp.org #6 3 too high 10 Chatway Live Chat – AI Chatbot, Customer Support, FAQ & Helpdesk Customer Service & Chat Buttons 30K+ · 5.0★ (775) wp.org #24 14 too low 11 Comments Like Dislike 4K+ · 4.6★ (38) wp.org #10 ↓1 1 too high 12 Solid Post Likes 500+ · 4.8★ (9) wp.org #7 ↑5 5 too high 13 Chat Button & Custom ChatGPT-Powered Bot by GetButton.io 20K+ · 4.5★ (175) wp.org #20 7 too low 14 Button Block – Stylish buttons that get more clicks 5K+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #5 9 too high 15 WP Call Button – Easy Click to Call Button for WordPress 40K+ · 4.7★ (69) wp.org #18 ↓1 3 too low 16 Buttonizer – Floating Menus, Sticky Buttons, & Popup Builder 70K+ · 4.5★ (151) wp.org #14 2 too high 17 All-in-one Like Widget 1K+ · 4.9★ (7) wp.org #8 ↑1 9 too high 18 Simple Chat Button 40K+ · 4.8★ (14) wp.org #12 ↓1 6 too high 19 Buttonizer – Live Chat, AI Chatbot, Call, Chat, Contact Button 50K+ · 5.0★ (23) wp.org #15 4 too high 20 Add to Calendar Button 3K+ · 5.0★ (11) wp.org #16 4 too high 21 Back Button Widget 4K+ · 5.0★ (10) wp.org #17 4 too high 22 Social Like Box and Page by WpDevArt 5K+ · 4.2★ (88) wp.org #23 1 too low 23 WPC Buy Now Button for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.7★ (15) wp.org #21 ↑1 2 too high 24 Bloglovin Button 800+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 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.