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

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 “lws”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 7 of the top 20. 3 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

Learnworlds-SSO shows at wp.org #19 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 5 places. Its 200+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

merit plugin wp.org
1 LWS Cleaner 20K+ · 4.8★ (16) wp.org #1 2 LWS Hide Login 20K+ · 4.7★ (12) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 LWS Tools 10K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #2 1 too high 4 LWS Optimize – All-in-One Speed Booster & Cache Tools 20K+ · 4.6★ (9) wp.org #4 5 LWSCache 5K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #5 6 Recapture for Easy Digital Downloads 600+ · 5.0★ (11) wp.org #15 9 too low 7 Prosopo Procaptcha 200+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #7 8 Recapture for WooCommerce 200+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #16 ↑1 8 too low 9 LWS Affiliation 700+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #6 3 too high 10 LW Simple Forms 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #8 2 too high 11 LW Postcode Autofill for WooCommerce — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #9 2 too high 12 LW Foldora Checkout Order Toggle for WooCommerce — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #10 2 too high 13 LW RunningCart Progress Bar for WooCommerce — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #11 2 too high 14 LW Mobile Sticky Product Selector for WooCommerce — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #12 2 too high 15 SignEmail SMTP & DNS Diagnostic — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #13 2 too high 16 Lightweight Sitemap Generator 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 4 too low 17 LocalWeb All In One 5K+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #14 3 too high 18 Datos1 B2B Wholesale for WooCommerce — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 3 too low 19 IA SEO Generator 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #17 ↓1 2 too high 20 Individual Use Solver for WooCommerce Coupons – Coupon Categories 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 ↓1 2 too low 21 Recapture for Restrict Content Pro 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #18 3 too high 22 ServerMonitor 50+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #24 ↓1 2 too low 23 LW MWP Tools 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 ↓1 24 Learnworlds-SSO 200+ · 3.0★ (1) wp.org #19 5 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.