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

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 “medium”, we and wp.org disagree 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

Display Post Feed from Medium shows at wp.org #2 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 21 places. Its 100+ installs carry it up the search order; its 2.3★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Smash Balloon Social Photo Feed – Easy Social Feeds Plugin places #11 on merit, 4.9★ from 4358 reviews, but shows at wp.org #21. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

Blog2Social: Social Media Auto Post & Scheduler 40K+ · 4.5★ (2107) not PHP-current wp.org #4 ↑1 3 too low 2

MWW Scheduled Post Trigger 60K+ · 4.4★ (27) wp.org #3 ↑1 1 too low 3

MonsterInsights – Google Analytics Dashboard for WordPress (Website Stats Made Easy) 2M+ · 4.5★ (3156) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #5 ↓2 2 too low 4

Two Factor 100K+ · 4.7★ (209) wp.org #8 ↑4 4 too low 5

Product Feed PRO for WooCommerce by AdTribes – Product Feeds for WooCommerce 80K+ · 4.7★ (1071) wp.org #12 ↑8 7 too low 6

Disable Media Sizes 10K+ · 5.0★ (23) thin reviews wp.org #6 7 P Page Links To 100K+ · 4.9★ (157) wp.org #11 4 too low 8

Source Medium Tracker for Contact Form 7 200+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews wp.org #1 7 too high 9

SchedulePress – Auto Post & Publish, Auto Social Share, Schedule Posts with Editorial Calendar & Missed Schedule Post Publisher 10K+ · 4.6★ (201) wp.org #13 ↑2 4 too low 10

Simple Shopping Cart 10K+ · 4.6★ (215) wp.org #15 5 too low 11

Smash Balloon Social Photo Feed – Easy Social Feeds Plugin 1M+ · 4.9★ (4358) wp.org #21 ↓7 10 too low 12

Categories Images 50K+ · 4.5★ (86) wp.org #14 ↑2 2 too low 13

Australia Post WooCommerce Extension 3K+ · 4.4★ (19) thin reviews wp.org #7 6 too high 14

Disable Generate Thumbnails 6K+ · 5.0★ (16) thin reviews wp.org #9 ↓1 5 too high 15

Options for Twenty Twenty-One 6K+ · 4.9★ (64) wp.org #16 ↑3 1 too low 16

SimpLy Gallery 40K+ · 4.8★ (118) wp.org #22 6 too low 17

Image Regenerate & Select Crop 7K+ · 4.7★ (58) wp.org #17 ↑1 18

CC Child Pages 9K+ · 4.9★ (49) wp.org #19 ↑5 20

USPS Simple Shipping for Woocommerce 8K+ · 4.4★ (28) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #10 ↓1 10 too high 21

WPS Bidouille 9K+ · 4.9★ (54) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #20 ↑2 2 too high 23

Display Post Feed from Medium 100+ · 2.3★ (3) thin reviewslow rating, top placement wp.org #2 21 too high 24

Royal Mail Shipping Calculator for WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.4★ (8) thin reviews wp.org #23 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.