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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “loop label”

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 “loop label”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 6 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

LabelGrid Tools shows at wp.org #11 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 60+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Ajax Load More – Infinite Scroll, Load More, & Lazy Load places #12 on merit, 4.8★ from 287 reviews, but shows at wp.org #19. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Advanced Query Loop 6K+ · 4.6★ (30) wp.org #1 2 Advanced Woo Labels – Product Labels & Badges for WooCommerce 10K+ · 5.0★ (64) wp.org #2 3 Tangible: Loops & Logic 2K+ · 4.9★ (39) wp.org #3 4 SEOPress – AI SEO Plugin & On-site SEO 300K+ · 4.8★ (1268) wp.org #7 3 too low 5 Kadence Blocks — Page Builder Toolkit for Gutenberg Editor 600K+ · 4.8★ (333) wp.org #5 ↑1 6 Adminify – White Label, Admin Menu Editor, Login Customizer 6K+ · 4.3★ (109) wp.org #4 2 too high 7 Unlimited Elements for Elementor 300K+ · 4.8★ (525) wp.org #8 ↓1 1 too low 8 Barcode Generator: Print Product Labels & Order Barcode Label (A4, Thermal/Roll, Letter) 900+ · 4.5★ (74) wp.org #6 ↓1 2 too high 9 WPVibe – MCP Server for WordPress, works with Claude, ChatGPT & other AI MCP agents 100K+ · 5.0★ (199) wp.org #10 ↑1 1 too low 10 GenerateBlocks 200K+ · 4.9★ (122) wp.org #9 ↓1 1 too high 11 Germanized for WooCommerce 70K+ · 4.8★ (496) wp.org #13 ↓3 2 too low 12 Ajax Load More – Infinite Scroll, Load More, & Lazy Load 30K+ · 4.8★ (287) wp.org #19 7 too low 13 Meta Field Block – Display Custom Fields for ACF, Meta Box and More 10K+ · 5.0★ (57) wp.org #14 1 too low 14 Master Addons for Elementor – Elementor Addons, Widgets, Mega Menu Builder, Popup Builder, Widget Builder & Template Kits 30K+ · 4.5★ (212) wp.org #23 ↓1 9 too low 15 Better Post & Filter Widgets for Elementor 4K+ · 5.0★ (18) wp.org #15 ↓6 16 Block Animations, Motion & Scroll Effects – Ghost Kit 6K+ · 4.6★ (46) wp.org #20 4 too low 17 Customizer for WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.6★ (31) wp.org #24 ↓3 7 too low 18 Simple Page Redirect 10K+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #17 ↓2 1 too high 19 Hyperlink Group Block 7K+ · 4.3★ (14) wp.org #18 ↓1 1 too high 20 Marquee Addons for Elementor – Essential Motion Widgets & Templates 20K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #16 ↑7 4 too high 21 DesignSetGo 8K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #12 9 too high 22 LabelGrid Tools 60+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #11 ↑2 11 too high 23 Dynamic ACF Repeater for Elementor 1K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #22 ↓2 1 too high 24 ShopPress – Shop Builder for Elementor and WooCommerce 600+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #21 ↓3 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.