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

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 taxonomy”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 14 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

Taxonomy Query Filter shows at wp.org #9 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 15 places. Its 100+ 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

Royal Addons for Elementor – Addons and Templates Kit for Elementor places #10 on merit, 4.8★ from 612 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 wp.org
1 Advanced Query Loop 6K+ · 4.6★ (30) wp.org #1 2 Spectra Legacy – Gutenberg Blocks 1M+ · 4.7★ (1872) wp.org #5 3 too low 3 Tangible: Loops & Logic 2K+ · 4.9★ (39) wp.org #4 1 too low 4 Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (587) wp.org #8 ↓1 4 too low 5 Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) 2M+ · 4.5★ (1440) wp.org #6 ↑3 1 too low 6 SEOPress – AI SEO Plugin & On-site SEO 300K+ · 4.8★ (1267) wp.org #10 4 too low 7 Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423) wp.org #11 4 too low 8 Loop Grid Extender for Elementor – ACF Repeater & Smart Filters 1K+ · 5.0★ (9) wp.org #2 6 too high 9 Unlimited Elements for Elementor 300K+ · 4.8★ (525) wp.org #13 ↓1 4 too low 10 Royal Addons for Elementor – Addons and Templates Kit for Elementor 600K+ · 4.8★ (612) wp.org #15 ↓2 5 too low 11 Remove Taxonomy URL 1K+ · 4.2★ (6) wp.org #3 8 too high 12 Category AJAX Filter – Posts, Custom Post Types & Product Filter 6K+ · 4.9★ (158) wp.org #16 4 too low 13 Code Snippets 1M+ · 4.7★ (510) wp.org #14 ↓4 1 too low 14 Permalink Manager Lite 100K+ · 4.8★ (176) wp.org #23 9 too low 15 Dynific Addons for Elementor (formerly Anywhere Elementor) 70K+ · 4.8★ (104) wp.org #22 7 too low 16 Custom Permalinks 100K+ · 4.1★ (116) wp.org #19 ↑1 3 too low 17 HUSKY – Products Filter for WooCommerce Professional. MCP is onboard 80K+ · 4.6★ (337) wp.org #18 ↓4 1 too low 18 Meta Field Block – Display Custom Fields for ACF, Meta Box and More 10K+ · 5.0★ (57) wp.org #21 ↓3 3 too low 19 Advanced Queries 10K+ · 4.9★ (40) wp.org #24 5 too low 20 Better Post & Filter Widgets for Elementor 4K+ · 5.0★ (18) wp.org #12 ↓1 8 too high 21 Taxonomy/Term and Role-based Discounts for WooCommerce 200+ · 4.4★ (8) wp.org #7 ↓1 14 too high 22 Genesis Connect for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.1★ (17) wp.org #20 ↑1 2 too high 23 Dynamic ACF Repeater for Elementor 1K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #17 6 too high 24 Taxonomy Query Filter 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #9 ↓1 15 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.