wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “link tinymce 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 “link tinymce button”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 of the top 20. 2 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
MRW Simplified Editor shows at wp.org #12 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 100+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 4 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Post and Page Builder by BoldGrid – Visual Drag and Drop Editor places #10 on merit, 4.7★ from 140 reviews, but shows at wp.org #16. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Advanced Editor Tools 1M+ · 4.5★ (354)
wp.org #1 2 
Black Studio TinyMCE Widget 200K+ · 4.8★ (191)
wp.org #2 3 
MaxButtons – Create buttons 70K+ · 4.9★ (1093)
wp.org #3 4 
Download Manager 100K+ · 4.1★ (1006)
wp.org #4 5 
Simple Download Monitor 20K+ · 4.7★ (158)
wp.org #5 6 
Classic Editor 8M+ · 4.9★ (1251)
wp.org #6 7 
Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) 2M+ · 4.5★ (1440) heavy footprint
wp.org #8 1 too low 8 
SiteOrigin Widgets Bundle 400K+ · 4.9★ (134)
wp.org #11 3 too low 9 
LinkCentral – URL shortener, Affiliate Links & Custom Link Shortener with Link Tracking 400+ · 5.0★ (19) thin reviews
wp.org #7 2 too high 10 Post and Page Builder by BoldGrid – Visual Drag and Drop Editor 50K+ · 4.7★ (140)
wp.org #16 6 too low 11 
Chat Widget: Floating Customer Support Button for 30+ Channels, Supporting SMS, Calls, and Chat – Bit Assist 9K+ · 4.9★ (111)
wp.org #14 3 too low 12 
Cart Abandonment Recovery for WooCommerce – Recover Lost Sales with Automated Emails 300K+ · 4.8★ (626) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #13 1 too low 13 
File Manager Pro – Filester 100K+ · 4.9★ (155)
wp.org #18 5 too low 14 
CMB2 300K+ · 5.0★ (91) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #10 4 too high 15 
Pods – Custom Content Types and Fields 100K+ · 4.8★ (418)
wp.org #24 9 too low 16 
WP Statistics – Simple, privacy-friendly Google Analytics alternative 500K+ · 4.1★ (758)
wp.org #23 7 too low 17 
Enlighter – Customizable Syntax Highlighter 10K+ · 4.8★ (65)
wp.org #20 3 too low 18 
Metronet Tag Manager 20K+ · 4.8★ (8) thin reviews
wp.org #9 9 too high 19 A amCharts: Charts and Maps 1K+ · 5.0★ (29)
wp.org #22 3 too low 20 
Easy Bootstrap Shortcode 6K+ · 4.0★ (50)
wp.org #19 1 too high 21 
Re-add text underline and justify 50K+ · 4.7★ (25)
wp.org #21 22 
Custom Field Template 30K+ · 4.0★ (24) thin reviews
wp.org #17 5 too high 23 MRW Simplified Editor 100+ · 5.0★ (4) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #12 11 too high 24 
AI Internal Links 200+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #15 9 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.