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

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 “mit”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 7 of the top 20. 3 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

Gutentools shows at wp.org #9 but places #17 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 4K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 4 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

WP Database Backup – Unlimited Database & Files Backup by Backup for WP places #12 on merit, 4.5★ from 102 reviews, but shows at wp.org #24. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Maintenance 1M+ · 4.4★ (869) wp.org #1 2 Advanced Google reCAPTCHA 200K+ · 4.8★ (430) wp.org #2 3 Spectra Legacy – Gutenberg Blocks 1M+ · 4.7★ (1872) wp.org #3 4 Colibri Page Builder 80K+ · 4.4★ (80) wp.org #4 5 WPBruiser Security – No CAPTCHA Anti-Spam & Login Protection 10K+ · 4.6★ (213) wp.org #7 ↑14 2 too low 6 Page scroll to id 100K+ · 4.9★ (225) wp.org #5 1 too high 7 Ultimate Addons for Beaver Builder (UABB) 20K+ · 5.0★ (332) wp.org #12 ↓2 5 too low 8 M Mesmerize Companion 50K+ · 4.4★ (51) wp.org #6 2 too high 9 Disable Comments 1M+ · 4.7★ (281) wp.org #8 1 too high 10 Getwid – Gutenberg Blocks 50K+ · 4.7★ (115) wp.org #11 ↓2 1 too low 11 Timetable and Event Schedule by MotoPress 30K+ · 4.3★ (69) wp.org #13 ↓2 2 too low 12 WP Database Backup – Unlimited Database & Files Backup by Backup for WP 20K+ · 4.5★ (102) wp.org #24 12 too low 13 affiliate-toolkit – Multi-Network Affiliate & Amazon Product Display 2K+ · 4.5★ (22) wp.org #10 ↓2 3 too high 14 Custom HTML Block Extension 7K+ · 5.0★ (13) wp.org #14 ↓2 15 Connect Matomo – Analytics Dashboard for WordPress 60K+ · 4.5★ (95) wp.org #19 ↓2 4 too low 16 O One Page Express Companion 10K+ · 4.7★ (11) wp.org #15 ↓2 1 too high 17 Gutentools 4K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #9 ↓2 8 too high 18 Customify 10K+ · 3.8★ (9) wp.org #18 ↓3 19 Button Block – Stylish buttons that get more clicks 5K+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #22 ↓2 3 too low 20 PrivacyBee – Datenschutz im Autopilot 800+ · 4.2★ (5) wp.org #16 4 too high 21 Coming Soon Maintenance Mode 6K+ · 4.7★ (3) wp.org #17 ↓3 4 too high 22 VK All in One Expansion Unit 100K+ · 4.0★ (7) wp.org #23 1 too low 23 Mox Icons – Icon Pack for Elementor 1K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #20 ↓2 3 too high 24 Futurio Extra 10K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #21 ↓2 3 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.