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

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 “limitless”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 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

Service Box Slider shows at wp.org #6 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 17 places. Its 400+ 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

SupportCandy – AI Customer Support Ticket System & Live Chatbot Agent places #9 on merit, 4.9★ from 289 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 Ultimate Addons for Elementor – Widgets, Templates, WooCommerce & Header Footer Builder 2M+ · 4.9★ (2528) wp.org #2 ↑2 1 too low 2 Fusion Page Builder 3K+ · 4.7★ (14) wp.org #1 1 too high 3 GEO my WP 3K+ · 4.6★ (139) wp.org #4 ↓1 1 too low 4 Disable XML-RPC-API 100K+ · 4.2★ (43) wp.org #3 ↓1 1 too high 5 Accordion FAQ – Compatible With All Page Builder (Elementor, Gutenberg) 30K+ · 4.6★ (676) wp.org #10 ↓1 5 too low 6 GeoDirectory – WP Business Directory Plugin and Classified Listings Directory 10K+ · 4.8★ (716) wp.org #9 ↑1 3 too low 7 Product Bundle Builder for WooCommerce 6K+ · 4.8★ (61) wp.org #5 ↑3 2 too high 8 Gutenberg Essential Blocks – Page Builder for Gutenberg Blocks & Patterns 100K+ · 4.9★ (216) wp.org #13 ↑2 5 too low 9 SupportCandy – AI Customer Support Ticket System & Live Chatbot Agent 10K+ · 4.9★ (289) wp.org #18 ↑4 9 too low 10 Team Builder – Team Member Showcase With Grid and slider, Compatible With Elementor, Gutenberg 6K+ · 4.5★ (142) wp.org #15 ↓3 5 too low 11 Live Composer – Free WordPress Website Builder 10K+ · 4.4★ (212) wp.org #17 6 too low 12 Styled Calendar – Customizable, Mobile Responsive Google Calendar Embeds 1K+ · 4.4★ (19) wp.org #12 ↑2 13 Exclusive Addons for Elementor 50K+ · 4.7★ (47) wp.org #22 ↑2 9 too low 14 Store Toolkit – WooCommerce Extensions, Quick Enhancements & Handy Tools 8K+ · 4.8★ (44) wp.org #16 2 too low 15 Interactive Image Map Builder 1K+ · 5.0★ (17) wp.org #20 ↑1 5 too low 16 Booking System Trafft 400+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #7 ↓2 9 too high 17 WRC Pricing Tables – Responsive CSS3 Pricing Tables 1K+ · 4.2★ (36) wp.org #24 7 too low 18 Qode Essential Addons 10K+ · 2.8★ (6) wp.org #11 7 too high 19 AutoWP – AI Content Writer & Rewriter 900+ · 3.8★ (15) wp.org #19 20 FancyTube – Video Gallery, Video Slider, and Playlist Slider for YouTube 1K+ · 4.6★ (10) wp.org #23 3 too low 21 UiCore Blocks – Free WordPress Gutenberg Blocks 500+ · 3.7★ (3) wp.org #8 ↓1 13 too high 22 wModes – Catalog Mode, Product Pricing, Enquiry Forms & Promotions | for WooCommerce 800+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #14 ↓1 8 too high 23 Service Box Slider 400+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #6 17 too high 24 Fusion Page Builder : Extension – Gallery 600+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #21 ↓1 3 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.