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← Rankings

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

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 “match”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 of the top 20. 1 plugin is 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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.

Ranked above its merit

BundleBoss – Product Bundles, Mix and Match & Build a Box for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #7 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 16 places. Its 80+ 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

Ultimate Addons for Elementor – Widgets, Templates, WooCommerce & Header Footer Builder places #8 on merit, 4.9★ from 2528 reviews, but shows at wp.org #13. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Relevanssi – A Better Search 100K+ · 4.8★ (406) wp.org #1 2 Redirection 2M+ · 4.4★ (703) wp.org #3 ↑1 1 too low 3 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322) wp.org #6 ↑3 3 too low 4 Starter Templates: AI-Powered Website Templates for Elementor & Gutenberg 1M+ · 4.9★ (4755) wp.org #8 4 too low 5 Match Me for BuddyPress & BuddyBoss 200+ · 4.6★ (12) wp.org #2 3 too high 6 Product Bundle Builder for WooCommerce 6K+ · 4.8★ (61) wp.org #5 ↑1 1 too high 7 ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2051) wp.org #10 ↑5 3 too low 8 Ultimate Addons for Elementor – Widgets, Templates, WooCommerce & Header Footer Builder 2M+ · 4.9★ (2528) wp.org #13 ↑6 5 too low 9 Theme My Login 50K+ · 3.7★ (460) wp.org #9 10 All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720) wp.org #14 4 too low 11 PixelYourSite – Your smart PIXEL (TAG) & API Manager 400K+ · 4.3★ (281) wp.org #11 ↓4 12 WP Store Locator 40K+ · 4.8★ (312) wp.org #16 ↓3 4 too low 13 matchHeight 2K+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #4 ↓1 9 too high 14 Search Regex 100K+ · 4.7★ (101) wp.org #12 ↓1 2 too high 15 Max Mega Menu 300K+ · 4.8★ (882) wp.org #19 ↓9 4 too low 16 Cart Abandonment Recovery for WooCommerce – Recover Lost Sales with Automated Emails 300K+ · 4.8★ (626) wp.org #23 7 too low 17 Widget Context 30K+ · 4.5★ (98) wp.org #18 1 too low 18 WP Responsive Menu 30K+ · 4.3★ (100) wp.org #21 ↓3 3 too low 19 Weight Based Shipping for WooCommerce 50K+ · 4.6★ (83) wp.org #24 ↓8 5 too low 20 Smooth Back To Top Button 40K+ · 4.9★ (31) wp.org #22 2 too low 21 Email Customizer for WooCommerce | Drag and Drop Email Templates Builder 9K+ · 4.3★ (44) wp.org #20 ↓3 1 too high 22 Google for WooCommerce 800K+ · 2.7★ (268) wp.org #17 ↓12 5 too high 23 BundleBoss – Product Bundles, Mix and Match & Build a Box for WooCommerce 80+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #7 ↑5 16 too high 24 CookieAdmin – Cookie Consent Banner 400K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #15 ↑5 9 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.