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← Rankings

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

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

HivePress Claim Listings shows at wp.org #11 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 3K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Premium Addons for Elementor – AI-Ready Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates places #9 on merit, 4.9★ from 1680 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 Classified Listing – AI-Powered Classified ads & Business Directory 9K+ · 4.8★ (138) wp.org #1 2 GeoDirectory – WP Business Directory Plugin and Classified Listings Directory 10K+ · 4.8★ (716) wp.org #2 3 Business Directory Plugin – Easy Listing & Member Directories for WordPress 10K+ · 4.6★ (504) wp.org #3 ↑3 4 Directorist: AI-Powered Business Directory, Listings & Classified Ads 20K+ · 4.6★ (698) wp.org #4 ↓1 5 HivePress – Business Directory, Listings & Classified Ads Plugin 10K+ · 4.9★ (221) wp.org #5 ↑4 6 TablePress – Tables in WordPress made easy 600K+ · 5.0★ (4625) wp.org #10 ↑10 4 too low 7 HireZoot – Job Listings, Career Page & Recruitment Tool 30K+ · 4.8★ (194) wp.org #8 ↓4 1 too low 8 Easy Property Listings 5K+ · 4.7★ (112) wp.org #7 1 too high 9 Premium Addons for Elementor – AI-Ready Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates 600K+ · 4.9★ (1680) wp.org #17 ↑1 8 too low 10 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) wp.org #13 ↑4 3 too low 11 WP Maps – Google Maps, OpenStreetMap, Mapbox, Store Locator with Search, Filters & Listings 60K+ · 4.3★ (122) wp.org #9 ↑1 2 too high 12 Listdom: AI-powered Business Directory with Classifieds Ads Listings 1K+ · 4.9★ (60) wp.org #16 4 too low 13 Tabbed Category Product Listing for Woocommerce 1K+ · 4.9★ (28) wp.org #12 1 too high 14 Motors – Car Dealership & Classified Listings Plugin 9K+ · 4.5★ (79) wp.org #15 1 too low 15 Auto Listings – Car Listings & Car Dealership Plugin for WordPress 2K+ · 4.3★ (31) wp.org #18 ↑1 3 too low 16 WPC Coupon Listing for WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.7★ (3) wp.org #6 ↓1 10 too high 17 Fast Etsy Listings 400+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #19 ↑2 2 too low 18 Google for WooCommerce 800K+ · 2.7★ (268) wp.org #22 ↓14 4 too low 19 BeyondSEO – AI SEO to Improve Rankings, Listings & Online Visibility 20K+ · 4.0★ (4) wp.org #20 ↑4 1 too low 20 HivePress Paid Listings 4K+ · 3.3★ (3) wp.org #14 6 too high 21 MLSImport: IDX Plugin & MLS Plugin for Real Estate Listings 5K+ · 4.2★ (5) wp.org #23 ↓10 2 too low 22 HivePress Claim Listings 3K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #11 11 too high 23 WP All Import – Job Listing Import for WP Job Manager 2K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #24 1 too low 24 Import into Easy Property Listings 1K+ · 5.0★ (1) 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.