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

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 “materials”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 of the top 20. 5 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

Product Materials for WooCommerce – MadeOf shows at wp.org #3 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 17 places. Its 200+ 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

Iptanus File Upload places #11 on merit, 4.4★ from 117 reviews, but shows at wp.org #17. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Variation Swatches for WooCommerce – Color, Image & Size Swatches 200K+ · 4.6★ (51) wp.org #1 2 Cookie Compliance for WordPress – Cookie Consent, GDPR & CCPA 800K+ · 4.8★ (3026) wp.org #4 2 too low 3 Masteriyo LMS – LMS Course Builder, Quizzes & Certificates 6K+ · 4.8★ (184) wp.org #2 1 too high 4 Tutor LMS – eLearning and online course solution 100K+ · 4.4★ (590) wp.org #6 ↓1 2 too low 5 Speed Optimizer – The All-In-One Performance-Boosting Plugin 1M+ · 4.2★ (641) wp.org #5 ↑1 6 Gravity Booster – Styles & Layouts for Gravity Forms 30K+ · 4.6★ (199) wp.org #7 1 too low 7 Code Block Pro – Beautiful Syntax Highlighting 10K+ · 4.8★ (50) wp.org #9 ↑2 2 too low 8 OMGF | GDPR/DSGVO Compliant, Faster Google Fonts. Easy. 300K+ · 4.7★ (213) wp.org #12 ↑1 4 too low 9 Markup by Attribute for WooCommerce 2K+ · 4.5★ (28) wp.org #8 ↑2 1 too high 10 Skyboot Custom Icons for Elementor – Elementor Icons library – 14300+ Icons 200K+ · 5.0★ (22) wp.org #10 ↓2 11 Iptanus File Upload 10K+ · 4.4★ (117) wp.org #17 6 too low 12 Swatchly – Product Variation Swatches for WooCommerce 5K+ · 4.5★ (29) wp.org #14 ↑1 2 too low 13 Print My Blog – Print, PDF, & eBook Converter WordPress Plugin 8K+ · 4.8★ (115) wp.org #20 7 too low 14 3DPrint Lite 600+ · 4.8★ (37) wp.org #16 ↑1 2 too low 15 Icon Element – Icon Pack for Elementor Page Builder (6718 icons) 40K+ · 4.4★ (7) wp.org #11 ↑1 4 too high 16 MKL Product Configurator for WooCommerce – 2D & 3D Live Preview 2K+ · 4.8★ (42) wp.org #21 5 too low 17 Hash Link Scroll Offset 1K+ · 5.0★ (14) wp.org #23 ↓2 6 too low 18 Create 6K+ · 4.3★ (25) wp.org #24 6 too low 19 YITH WooCommerce Ajax Product Filter 70K+ · 3.5★ (98) wp.org #22 3 too low 20 Product Materials for WooCommerce – MadeOf 200+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #3 17 too high 21 QR Redirector 4K+ · 4.3★ (11) wp.org #19 ↓1 2 too high 22 Business Essentials for Contact Form 7 7K+ · 3.3★ (10) wp.org #15 ↑1 7 too high 23 Coming Soon Maintenance Mode 6K+ · 4.7★ (3) wp.org #18 ↑1 5 too high 24 Mox Icons – Icon Pack for Elementor 1K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #13 ↑1 11 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.