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

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 “merger”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 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.

S

Ranked above its merit

SWPMU Term Merger shows at wp.org #13 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its — installs carry it up the search order; its 1.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

R

Buried gem

ReOrder Posts within Categories places #6 on merit, 4.7★ from 59 reviews, but shows at wp.org #20. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 10Web Booster – Website speed optimization, Cache & Page Speed optimizer 60K+ · 4.6★ (405) wp.org #2 1 too low 2 WP User Merger 300+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #1 1 too high 3 One Click Upsell Funnel for Woocommerce 1K+ · 4.5★ (98) wp.org #5 2 too low 4 Upsell Funnel Builder for WooCommerce – Create Upsells, Cross-Sells, Order Bumps, Frequently Bought, and Popups. 2K+ · 4.7★ (116) wp.org #6 2 too low 5 FriendStore for WooCommerce 100+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #3 2 too high 6 R ReOrder Posts within Categories 7K+ · 4.7★ (59) wp.org #20 14 too low 7 VigIA – AI Visibility, Analytics & Control 2K+ · 5.0★ (19) wp.org #16 9 too low 8 Tracking and Consent Manager – WP Full Picture 3K+ · 5.0★ (21) wp.org #15 7 too low 9 Host Domination Booking Engine: Calendar Sync & Reservation System 100+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #8 1 too high 10 Bring Fraktguiden for WooCommerce 400+ · 4.0★ (19) wp.org #17 7 too low 11 Sales Notifications for WooCommerce – Recent Sales Popup 30+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #7 4 too high 12 Post Redirection – 301, 404 Redirects 50+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #4 8 too high 13 Visitor Analytics and Lead Generation Plugin by Inbound Rocket 10+ · 4.1★ (9) wp.org #19 6 too low 14 P Post Forking 20+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #23 9 too low 15 OneStudio Vietnam Address for WooCommerce 30+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #9 6 too high 16 Spin Popup for WooCommerce 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #12 4 too high 17 VietAddr – Vietnam 2-Level Address for WooCommerce — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #14 3 too high 18 Checkout Upsell Order Bump for WooCommerce 20+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #11 7 too high 19 Currency Converter for WooCommerce 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #10 9 too high 20 Personalised Gift Supply – Listing Tool — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #18 2 too high 21 Karks CRM — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 22 I Image Merger 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 23 S SWPMU Term Merger — · 1.0★ (1) wp.org #13 10 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.