Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

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

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

Curtain Raiser for Inaugural Ceremony shows at wp.org #10 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 90+ 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.

Buried gem

GetGenie – AI SEO Assistant & Content Writer with Keyword Research, AEO & GEO places #8 on merit, 4.8★ from 119 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 PrettyLinks – Affiliate Link Management, URL Shortener, Link Cloaking, Tracking & Branded Short Links 200K+ · 4.8★ (1322) wp.org #1 2 Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423) wp.org #2 3 Ultimate Blocks – 25+ Gutenberg Blocks for Block Editor 50K+ · 4.9★ (729) wp.org #3 4 UserFeedback – Create Interactive Feedback Form, User Surveys, and Polls in Seconds 200K+ · 4.8★ (309) wp.org #4 5 YayMail – WooCommerce Email Customizer 50K+ · 4.8★ (291) wp.org #5 ↑2 6 404 to 301 – Redirect Manager, 301 Redirection, 404 Error Logs & 404 Monitoring 100K+ · 4.7★ (321) wp.org #8 ↑1 2 too low 7 BetterLinks – Link Shortener, Link Cloaking, Redirects, Affiliate Link Manager & MCP 20K+ · 4.8★ (85) wp.org #11 ↑2 4 too low 8 GetGenie – AI SEO Assistant & Content Writer with Keyword Research, AEO & GEO 70K+ · 4.8★ (119) wp.org #17 9 too low 9 Prime Slider – Hero Slider, Carousel, WooCommerce & Post Slider Elementor Addons 100K+ · 4.5★ (82) wp.org #18 9 too low 10 LinkCentral – URL shortener, Affiliate Links & Custom Link Shortener with Link Tracking 400+ · 5.0★ (19) wp.org #14 4 too low 11 UiCore Animate – Free Animations, Transitions, and Interactions Addon for Elementor & Gutenberg blocks 40K+ · 3.2★ (10) wp.org #6 ↓1 5 too high 12 WP Discord Invite 400+ · 4.6★ (7) wp.org #9 ↓1 3 too high 13 Push Notifications by LaraPush 4K+ · 4.7★ (13) wp.org #21 8 too low 14 Email Addon for Contact Form 7 3K+ · 4.6★ (9) wp.org #12 2 too high 15 Events Slider, Events Carousel, Events Grid, Events Timeline and Events Filter Bar for The Events Calendar – Eventful 400+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #20 ↓1 5 too low 16 If-So Conditional Content for Elementor 1K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #7 ↓1 9 too high 17 Cursor Style & Animation 70+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #22 ↑1 5 too low 18 Custom Permalink Editor 4K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #16 2 too high 19 GIFT4U – Gift Cards All in One for Woo 200+ · 4.7★ (3) wp.org #19 ↑1 20 PuzzleMe – Interactive Puzzles for WordPress – Easily publish crosswords, quizzes, word searches and more 1K+ · 4.0★ (3) wp.org #15 5 too high 21 RTMKit for Elementor – Modular Addons, Widgets, Templates, Icon Library, GSAP Animations, MCP & Store Ready 40K+ · 2.7★ (16) wp.org #24 3 too low 22 Curtain Raiser for Inaugural Ceremony 90+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #10 12 too high 23 Search URL Beautifier 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 ↑1 24 Setmore 4K+ · 2.5★ (4) wp.org #13 ↓2 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.