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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “linux day”

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 “linux day”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 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

Widgets for Thumbtack Reviews shows at wp.org #14 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 5 places. Its 900+ 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

FireBox – WooCommerce Popup Builder, Exit Intent Popup, Email Optin & Cart Abandonment places #11 on merit, 4.8★ from 76 reviews, but shows at wp.org #17. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Widgets for Google Reviews 1M+ · 4.9★ (2667) wp.org #1 2 EWWW Image Optimizer 1M+ · 4.8★ (1842) wp.org #2 ↓1 3 WP Encryption: Easy HTTPS / SSL & Free SSL certificate, HTTPS redirect 50K+ · 4.9★ (1146) wp.org #4 ↑2 1 too low 4 Fast Velocity Minify 30K+ · 4.6★ (195) wp.org #3 1 too high 5 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322) wp.org #5 ↓1 6 Auto-Install Free SSL – Generate & Install Free SSL Certificates 8K+ · 4.9★ (405) wp.org #6 ↓4 7 Mercado Pago payments for WooCommerce 100K+ · 3.9★ (693) wp.org #10 3 too low 8 Widgets for Booking.com Reviews 9K+ · 4.9★ (65) wp.org #8 ↓1 9 Widgets for Reviews & Recommendations 8K+ · 4.6★ (98) wp.org #9 ↓1 10 BotBlocker Security – Complete security platform 3K+ · 5.0★ (11) wp.org #7 ↓2 3 too high 11 FireBox – WooCommerce Popup Builder, Exit Intent Popup, Email Optin & Cart Abandonment 6K+ · 4.8★ (76) wp.org #17 ↓2 6 too low 12 Version Info – Server Health Monitor, PHP & MySQL Version Display, Environment Indicators 10K+ · 5.0★ (15) wp.org #11 ↓2 1 too high 13 Secure Copy Content Protection and Content Locking 20K+ · 4.3★ (62) wp.org #16 3 too low 14 RSVP and Event Management 3K+ · 4.4★ (58) wp.org #15 ↓4 1 too low 15 Print Anywhere & Create PDFs of Order Receipts, Invoices, Labels & More. 1K+ · 4.7★ (18) wp.org #12 3 too high 16 PushAlert – Web Push Notifications for WordPress and WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.6★ (8) wp.org #13 3 too high 17 Post Status Notifier Lite 700+ · 3.9★ (17) wp.org #19 ↓1 2 too low 18 Atlant Security 800+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #22 4 too low 19 Widgets for Thumbtack Reviews 900+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #14 5 too high 20 Widgets for Ebay Reviews 500+ · 4.2★ (5) wp.org #18 ↓1 2 too high 21 Widgets for Expedia Reviews 100+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #23 ↓1 2 too low 22 MyServerInfo – Memory Usage, PHP Version, Memory Limit, Execution Time, CPU Usage, Disk Usage 800+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #21 ↓2 1 too high 23 Widgets for Zillow Reviews 300+ · 3.0★ (4) wp.org #20 ↑4 3 too high 24 Soovex WebP Converter – Convert Images | Optimize & Compress | Unlimited Conversions 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #24 ↓3

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.