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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “mark unread”

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

Turnkey bbPress by WeaverTheme shows at wp.org #3 but places #11 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 300+ 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

Directorist: AI-Powered Business Directory, Listings & Classified Ads places #7 on merit, 4.6★ from 698 reviews, but shows at wp.org #16. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Better Messages – Chat Rooms, Group Chat, Private Messages & AI Chat Bots 10K+ · 4.8★ (142) wp.org #1 ↑4 2 bbp style pack 6K+ · 4.9★ (100) wp.org #2 ↓1 3 wpForo Forum 20K+ · 4.7★ (390) wp.org #10 ↑5 7 too low 4 GSheetConnector – CF7 Google Sheets Connector & Save CF7 Entries to Database 40K+ · 4.4★ (129) wp.org #9 ↑5 5 too low 5 Form Vibes – Save Contact Form 7 & Elementor Form Entries to Database 10K+ · 4.9★ (132) wp.org #11 ↓1 6 too low 6 Mark New Posts 500+ · 4.8★ (12) wp.org #4 ↓2 2 too high 7 Directorist: AI-Powered Business Directory, Listings & Classified Ads 20K+ · 4.6★ (698) wp.org #16 9 too low 8 Sense Forms 200+ · 4.9★ (10) wp.org #5 ↓1 3 too high 9 Block, Suspend, Report for BuddyPress 500+ · 4.6★ (18) wp.org #6 3 too high 10 Secure MCP Server for Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini and other AI Agents 8K+ · 5.0★ (10) wp.org #7 ↑1 3 too high 11 Turnkey bbPress by WeaverTheme 300+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #3 8 too high 12 Contact Form to DB by BestWebSoft – Messages Database Plugin For WordPress 1K+ · 4.2★ (12) wp.org #8 ↓1 4 too high 13 Buddy Notification Bell 100+ · 4.7★ (14) wp.org #14 ↓2 1 too low 14 VRTs – Visual Regression Tests 800+ · 4.6★ (9) wp.org #15 ↑1 1 too low 15 Forms Rb 100+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #18 ↓1 3 too low 16 CF7 Submissions – Securely Store Contact Form 7 Data and Attachments, Reply to the Sender and more 2K+ · 4.0★ (4) wp.org #13 ↓2 3 too high 17 Orders Chat for WooCommerce 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #12 ↓3 5 too high 18 Sobi Forms 100+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #20 ↓1 2 too low 19 Flinkform – GDPR Contact Form Builder for the Block Editor 40+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #21 ↑3 2 too low 20 Polanger Contact Chat – Mobile Call Button 100+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #22 ↓1 2 too low 21 FlowForms – Conversational Form Builder 300+ · 4.0★ (1) wp.org #17 ↓4 4 too high 22 Product Catalog Mode For WooCommerce 300+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #24 ↓2 2 too low 23 BKoding – Orphan Page Finder 20+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #19 ↓1 4 too high 24 Notice Vault – Hide, Manage & Organize Admin Notices 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #23 ↓3 1 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.