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

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 sharing”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 of the top 20.

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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.

Ranked above its merit

Libre Bite – Restaurant POS, Kitchen Display (KDS) & QR Ordering for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #7 but places #12 on merit, a gap of 5 places. Its — 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

Domain Mapping System | Create Microsites with Multiple Alias Domains (multisite optional) places #4 on merit, 4.5★ from 56 reviews, but shows at wp.org #11. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Tutor LMS – eLearning and online course solution 100K+ · 4.4★ (590) wp.org #4 3 too low 2 Product Sync for WooCommerce – Supplier API Import, Dropshipping & Inventory Sync 400+ · 5.0★ (16) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 Sigmize: A/B Testing, Session Recordings, Heatmaps & Revenue Tracking for WooCommerce, SureCart & EDD 5K+ · 3.7★ (3) wp.org #1 2 too high 4 Domain Mapping System | Create Microsites with Multiple Alias Domains (multisite optional) 2K+ · 4.5★ (56) wp.org #11 7 too low 5 ReelsHive 70+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #2 3 too high 6 wiseCampaign – WooCommerce Flash Sale, Countdown Timer, Discount Rules & Sales Notification 40+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #6 7 Performance & Security 50+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #5 2 too high 8 KBucket: Your Curated Content in WordPress 10+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #19 ↑1 11 too low 9 JSDDM SEO Auditor — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #8 1 too high 10 LTL Freight Quotes – Worldwide Express Edition 90+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #14 4 too low 11 Toolbox for Elementor — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #9 2 too high 12 Libre Bite – Restaurant POS, Kitchen Display (KDS) & QR Ordering for WooCommerce — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #7 5 too high 13 LTL Freight Quotes – ODFL Edition 10+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #16 ↓1 3 too low 14 AIPCF – AI Provider for Cloudflare — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #10 4 too high 15 A.N.R.GHG Publishing Toolkit 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #13 2 too high 16 LTL Freight Quotes – Estes Edition 10+ · 3.7★ (3) wp.org #20 ↓2 4 too low 17 Small Package Quotes – Worldwide Express Edition 90+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #12 5 too high 18 Small Package Quotes – Unishippers Edition 50+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 ↓1 1 too high 19 Small Package Quotes – For Customers of FedEx 30+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #15 ↑2 4 too high 20 LTL Freight Quotes – Unishippers Edition 40+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 1 too low 21 LTL Freight Quotes – XPO Edition 40+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 1 too low 22 LTL Freight Quotes – SEFL Edition 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 1 too low 23 LTL Freight Quotes – TForce Edition 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #18 ↑1 5 too high 24 LTL Freight Quotes – For Customers of FedEx Freight 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #24

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.