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← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “mm groups”

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 “mm groups”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 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

Groups for MemberMouse shows at wp.org #2 but places #13 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 20+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Social Chat – Click To Chat App Button places #6 on merit, 4.9★ from 696 reviews, but shows at wp.org #10. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 WSMS (formerly WP SMS): SMS and OTP for WordPress and WooCommerce 7K+ · 4.1★ (107) wp.org #1 ↑1 2 Discount Rules for WooCommerce 100K+ · 4.9★ (1395) wp.org #4 ↑1 2 too low 3 Notification for Telegram 4K+ · 4.9★ (71) wp.org #5 ↑1 2 too low 4 ELEX WooCommerce Dynamic Pricing and Discounts 700+ · 4.3★ (13) wp.org #3 ↑1 1 too high 5 Flexible Product Fields (WooCommerce Product Addons) – WooCommerce Product Page Editor 10K+ · 4.5★ (106) wp.org #8 ↑1 3 too low 6 Social Chat – Click To Chat App Button 200K+ · 4.9★ (696) wp.org #10 ↑1 4 too low 7 Appointment Booking Calendar 1K+ · 4.2★ (92) wp.org #7 ↑1 8 Equal Height Columns 10K+ · 4.9★ (41) wp.org #12 ↑1 4 too low 9 Custom Field Template 30K+ · 4.0★ (24) wp.org #9 ↑1 10 Rox Appointment Booking – Event, Calendar & Appointment Scheduling 2K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #6 ↑1 4 too high 11 Jooosi Fon – Use Custom Fonts, Google Fonts or Adobe Fonts 4K+ · 5.0★ (25) wp.org #13 ↑1 2 too low 12 SureContact – Newsletters, Email Marketing, Automation, Revenue Tracking & CRM 10K+ · 4.8★ (21) wp.org #17 5 too low 13 Groups for MemberMouse 20+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #2 ↑1 11 too high 14 U Urvanov Syntax Highlighter 3K+ · 4.5★ (19) wp.org #22 8 too low 15 B BuddyPress Simple Events 200+ · 3.7★ (12) wp.org #20 5 too low 16 Simple Location 300+ · 4.6★ (8) wp.org #16 17 All Users Filter 20+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #11 ↑1 6 too high 18 Appointment Booking Calendar & Scheduling – Zoe Booking 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #14 ↑2 4 too high 19 Luma Product Fields 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #18 1 too high 20 Clean Checkout for WooCommerce 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #19 1 too high 21 crouton 300+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #15 6 too high 22 Clicks User Manager — Bulk Delete, Edit Roles, Email & Export WordPress Users 60+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #23 1 too low 23 SMS for WooCommerce 50+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #24 ↓1 1 too low 24 APG Withdrawal for WooCommerce 60+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #21 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.