Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

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

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 “ls”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 18 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 it throws errors on current PHP, whether the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.

L

Ranked above its merit

Ls Gtrans Widget shows at wp.org #3 but places #7 on merit, a gap of 4 places. Its 100+ installs carry it up the search order; its 0.0★ average from 0 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Content Visibility for Divi Builder places #3 on merit, 4.8★ from 101 reviews, but shows at wp.org #22. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 WP Console – WordPress PHP Console powered by PsySH 20K+ · 5.0★ (21) wp.org #1 2 GetGenie – AI SEO Assistant & Content Writer with Keyword Research, AEO & GEO 70K+ · 4.8★ (119) wp.org #4 ↑1 2 too low 3 Content Visibility for Divi Builder 2K+ · 4.8★ (101) wp.org #22 ↓1 19 too low 4 Enable Media Replace 600K+ · 4.4★ (302) wp.org #23 ↓1 19 too low 5 Easy search and use CC-licensed images 60+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #2 3 too high 6 WP24 Domain Check 4K+ · 4.3★ (32) wp.org #24 ↓1 18 too low 7 L Ls Gtrans Widget 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #3 ↑1 4 too high 8 LS – AI Image Pipeline 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #5 ↑1 3 too high 9 LS Stock Portfolio 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #6 ↑1 3 too high 10 LS – AI Image Generator 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #7 ↓4 3 too high 11 LS – AI Editorial Engine 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #8 3 too high 12 L LS Sanitize Greek Filename 70+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #9 3 too high 13 RunCache – Full-Page, Object, and Edge Caching 4K+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #10 3 too high 14 LS-WebStudio Product Optimizer for WooCommerce — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #11 3 too high 15 S Smart App Banner 500+ · 4.7★ (3) wp.org #18 3 too low 16 LS AI Provider for ElevenLabs — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #12 4 too high 17 Measurement Pixel for OpenAI Ads 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #13 4 too high 18 LS oEmbed support for Scratch Mit 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #14 4 too high 19 FWD Linear Slider — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #15 4 too high 20 N Nerkh Live 40+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #16 4 too high 21 Logliy – Login Protect (Passkey, Email, SSO) 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 4 too high 22 D D8 Termline — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #19 3 too high 23 Lodging Suite Booking — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 ↓1 3 too high 24 SmartCloud Static Publisher 10+ · 0.0★ (0) 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.