wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “load more ajax”

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 “load more ajax”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 5 of the top 20. 5 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

Query Loop Load More shows at wp.org #6 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 14 places. Its 800+ 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

Login With Ajax – Fast Logins, 2FA, Redirects places #11 on merit, 4.6★ from 167 reviews, but shows at wp.org #15. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

Ajax Load More – Infinite Scroll, Load More, & Lazy Load 30K+ · 4.8★ (287) wp.org #1 2

Smush – Image Optimization, Compression, Lazy Load, WebP & CDN 1M+ · 4.8★ (6053) wp.org #3 1 too low 3

WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More 5M+ · 4.8★ (14387) wp.org #4 1 too low 4

Load More Products for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.9★ (275) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #2 2 too high 5

Ajax Search Lite – Live Search & Filter 70K+ · 4.8★ (266) wp.org #5 ↑5 6

FiboSearch – Ajax Search for WooCommerce 100K+ · 4.9★ (1815) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #9 ↓1 3 too low 7

a3 Lazy Load 80K+ · 4.3★ (148) wp.org #8 ↓2 1 too low 8

Load More Anything 5K+ · 4.5★ (73) wp.org #7 ↓2 1 too high 9

Category AJAX Filter – Posts, Custom Post Types & Product Filter 6K+ · 4.9★ (158) wp.org #10 ↓1 1 too low 10

Advanced AJAX Product Filters 50K+ · 4.7★ (387) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #11 1 too low 11

Events Manager – Calendar, Bookings, Tickets, Appointments and more! 60K+ · 4.2★ (551) not PHP-current wp.org #13 ↓1 1 too low 13

Ajax add to cart for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.7★ (78) wp.org #14 1 too low 14

Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5038) heavy footprint wp.org #23 8 too low 16

Simple Ajax Chat – Add a Fast, Secure Chat Box 2K+ · 4.9★ (215) wp.org #22 6 too low 17

hCaptcha for WP 70K+ · 4.6★ (88) wp.org #19 2 too low 18

Lazy Load for Videos 9K+ · 4.4★ (105) not PHP-current wp.org #17 1 too high 19

Plugin Load Filter 7K+ · 4.8★ (52) wp.org #20 1 too low 20

Query Loop Load More 800+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews wp.org #6 ↑1 14 too high 21

YITH WooCommerce Ajax Product Filter 70K+ · 3.5★ (98) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #18 3 too high 22

WPC AJAX Add to Cart for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.4★ (18) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #21 1 too high 23

Dynamic AJAX Product Filters for WooCommerce 1K+ · 5.0★ (11) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #24 1 too low 24

Ajax Load More for Advanced Custom Fields 2K+ · 4.6★ (5) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #16 8 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.