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

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 “mechanic”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 of the top 20. 2 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

EV Puzzles shows at wp.org #16 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 10+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

merit plugin wp.org
1 WP Sort Order 6K+ · 4.5★ (17) wp.org #1 2 Easy Appointments 10K+ · 4.3★ (131) wp.org #3 ↓1 1 too low 3 Popup Builder by Claspo – Email Popup, Spin the Wheel, Exit Intent 1K+ · 5.0★ (40) wp.org #4 1 too low 4 Advanced Woo Search – Product Search for WooCommerce 60K+ · 4.8★ (248) wp.org #7 ↓3 3 too low 5 TrueBooker – Appointment Booking and Scheduler System 600+ · 5.0★ (15) wp.org #10 ↓2 5 too low 6 Advanced coupon for WooCommerce 800+ · 5.0★ (19) wp.org #14 8 too low 7 4Linking — Internal Linking on Autopilot: Rules, Pillar Pages & Link Map 100+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #6 ↓1 1 too high 8 Ultimate Appointment Booking & Scheduling 80+ · 4.1★ (20) wp.org #13 ↓1 5 too low 9 WP Mechanic 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #2 ↑11 7 too high 10 Time Slot – Booking and Appointment System 100+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #9 ↓2 1 too high 11 Floating Minicart for WooCommerce 200+ · 3.6★ (7) wp.org #5 ↓2 6 too high 12 Social Integration for BlueSky 700+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #8 ↓2 4 too high 13 Business Card Block – present your team and contact info in style 1K+ · 4.3★ (4) wp.org #11 ↓2 2 too high 14 Booking System Trafft 400+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #15 1 too low 15 TrustLens – Fraud Prevention & Chargeback Defense for WooCommerce 20+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #19 4 too low 16 M Maia Mechanics Pro Web Widget 50+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #12 ↓2 4 too high 17 Workshop Booking 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #18 1 too low 18 AMG Labs Minesweeper Game 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 3 too low 19 Bookingor – Booking System and Appointment Booking Calendar, Meeting Scheduling & WooCommerce 60+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #17 2 too high 20 Media Library Cleaner 40+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 2 too low 21 Shortlix Carousel for YouTube 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 2 too low 22 LLM Friendly 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #24 2 too low 23 PitDesk Auto Repair CRM – Work Orders & Service History — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #20 3 too high 24 EV Puzzles 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #16 8 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.