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

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 “mentors”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 3 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.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Responsive Team Members Showcase, Team Grid, Team Slider, and Staff List – Smart Team (formerly WP Team) 5K+ · 4.7★ (92) wp.org #2 1 too low 2 Timetics – Appointment Booking Calendar & Scheduling 2K+ · 4.6★ (36) wp.org #5 3 too low 3 WP Events Manager 30K+ · 2.7★ (13) wp.org #1 2 too high 4 Match Me for BuddyPress & BuddyBoss 200+ · 4.6★ (12) wp.org #4 5 Ultimate Store Kit – Store Builder Addons for Elementor, WooCommerce Store Builder, EDD Store Builder 3K+ · 4.5★ (10) wp.org #3 2 too high 6 HelpGent – Video Funnels and Conversational Forms for WordPress 100+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #6 7 SaveTo Wishlist Lite – WooCommerce Wishlist 500+ · 4.2★ (11) wp.org #18 11 too low 8 GS Coach – Professional Team Showcase for Coaches & Consultants 10+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #9 1 too low 9 KAL-AI – Learning Mentor (LearnDash) | Content Expert (content sites) — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #7 2 too high 10 M Mentor Admin Username and Email Change 40+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #8 2 too high 11 Coach by Wondersome — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #11 12 Teaching Impact Score Lite — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #12 13 SkillTriks — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #10 3 too high 14 TBIZ: Client, Session & Business Manager — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #13 1 too high 15 Gather Grove Booking — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #14 1 too high 16 Gravity Booking – Appointment Booking & Scheduling Addon for Gravity Forms 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #15 1 too high 17 Theme Mentor 10+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #21 4 too low 18 PreBook– All-in-One Appointment Booking and Scheduling Solution 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #16 2 too high 19 T Themes Artist Demo Importer 1K+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 2 too high 20 Mon Laboratoire 60+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #19 1 too high 21 Contributor Highlights — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 1 too high 22 Appointment Booking System, Scheduling & Calendar – Tiger Booking — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 1 too low 23 G Get Shortlinks 90+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #22 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.