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

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 “micro”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 15 of the top 20. 7 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

CHIP for Fluent Forms shows at wp.org #9 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 100+ 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

Knit Pay – Cashfree, Instamojo, Razorpay, PayPal and more places #6 on merit, 4.9★ from 100 reviews, but shows at wp.org #23. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Safe Redirect Manager 40K+ · 4.7★ (78) wp.org #2 ↑1 1 too low 2 Reviewkit – Trustpilot Reviews Widget & Embed 1K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #1 1 too high 3 Domain Mapping System | Create Microsites with Multiple Alias Domains (multisite optional) 2K+ · 4.5★ (56) wp.org #15 ↓2 12 too low 4 Elements Hive for Breakdance 1K+ · 5.0★ (19) wp.org #8 ↑1 4 too low 5 FraudLabs Pro for WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.2★ (18) wp.org #6 1 too low 6 Knit Pay – Cashfree, Instamojo, Razorpay, PayPal and more 2K+ · 4.9★ (100) wp.org #23 17 too low 7 Contact Form X 300+ · 5.0★ (32) wp.org #17 10 too low 8 Moloni 2K+ · 4.8★ (6) wp.org #5 3 too high 9 WP MyLinks 1K+ · 4.0★ (14) wp.org #7 2 too high 10 Microposts – Microblogging post type 90+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #4 6 too high 11 CHIP for WooCommerce 4K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #3 ↓1 8 too high 12 Product Sync for WooCommerce – Supplier API Import, Dropshipping & Inventory Sync 300+ · 5.0★ (16) wp.org #16 4 too low 13 Safelayout Elegant Icons – WordPress icons 700+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #14 ↑1 1 too low 14 Embed Lottie Player – bring your pages to life with animation 4K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #10 ↑1 4 too high 15 Safelayout Brilliant Buttons – WordPress Buttons 100+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #12 3 too high 16 MicroPayments – Fans Paysite: Paid Creator Subscriptions, Digital Assets, Wallet 10+ · 4.2★ (5) wp.org #19 3 too low 17 Sigmize: A/B Testing, Session Recordings, Heatmaps & Revenue Tracking for WooCommerce, SureCart & EDD 5K+ · 3.7★ (3) wp.org #13 ↑1 4 too high 18 CHIP for Fluent Forms 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #9 ↓1 9 too high 19 Barmaton Quick Admin Logout 70+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #11 ↓1 8 too high 20 ReelsHive 70+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #24 4 too low 21 Performance & Security 50+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #21 ↑1 22 Friendly Content Unlocker (Lite) — Micro-Paywall, Pay Per Post & Content Locker for PayPal — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #22 ↑2 23 Interactions – Animations for Elementor & Gutenberg 500+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 ↑1 3 too high 24 Cycle Responsive Slider 50+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #18 6 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.