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

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 “motivation”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 of the top 20. 4 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

Simple Table Manager shows at wp.org #3 but places #10 on merit, a gap of 7 places. Its 400+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.8★ average from 4 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Ajax Load More – Infinite Scroll, Load More, & Lazy Load places #5 on merit, 4.8★ from 287 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 Gallery Custom Links 30K+ · 4.7★ (208) wp.org #1 2 WP Encryption: Easy HTTPS / SSL & Free SSL certificate, HTTPS redirect 50K+ · 4.9★ (1146) wp.org #2 ↑3 3 La Sentinelle antispam 3K+ · 5.0★ (21) wp.org #4 ↑2 1 too low 4 Donation Platform for WooCommerce: Fundraising & Donation Management 7K+ · 4.9★ (99) wp.org #7 ↑2 3 too low 5 Ajax Load More – Infinite Scroll, Load More, & Lazy Load 30K+ · 4.8★ (287) wp.org #10 ↑1 5 too low 6 GamiPress – Gamification plugin to reward points, badges & ranks in WordPress, now with AI 10K+ · 4.9★ (493) wp.org #9 ↑1 3 too low 7 Free Gift Product For WooCommerce 700+ · 4.7★ (14) wp.org #5 ↑2 2 too high 8 Points Management System For Gamification, Ranks, Badges, and Loyalty Rewards Program – myCred 10K+ · 4.6★ (472) wp.org #13 ↓10 5 too low 9 Backup Bolt – Lightweight Backup, Fast WordPress Backup to ZIP 800+ · 4.7★ (13) wp.org #6 ↓4 3 too high 10 Simple Table Manager 400+ · 4.8★ (4) wp.org #3 ↑1 7 too high 11 CSS Class Manager – An advanced autocomplete additional css class control for your blocks 500+ · 5.0★ (12) wp.org #8 3 too high 12 Shipping Packages for WooCommerce – Dropship from multiple locations like AliExpress, eBay, Amazon, Etsy 900+ · 4.8★ (17) wp.org #11 ↑1 1 too high 13 Newsletter Subscription Form – User Subscriptions Form, Capture Email 1K+ · 4.3★ (6) wp.org #12 ↑1 1 too high 14 StoreGrowth – Upsell, BOGO, Quick View, Direct Checkout & Side Cart for WooCommerce 2K+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #18 ↑1 4 too low 15 Multi-Carrier Shippo Shipping Rates & Address Validation for WooCommerce 3K+ · 3.8★ (11) wp.org #14 ↑1 1 too high 16 Shipping Discount for WooCommerce: Easy Make a Coupon for Shipping 300+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #24 ↓1 8 too low 17 Ajax Filter Search 70+ · 4.5★ (2) wp.org #15 2 too high 18 Shipping Discount for WooCommerce 200+ · 3.7★ (3) wp.org #19 ↓1 1 too low 19 Radio Buttons and Swatches for WooCommerce 200+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #17 2 too high 20 neo Replace – Simple replacement using drag & drop 90+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #16 4 too high 21 Funnel 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #20 1 too high 22 neoMotion – Creative stop-motion editor for neoDraw 20+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #23 1 too low 23 ChitChats Shipping for WooCommerce 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #21 2 too high 24 OTYS Plugin 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #22 2 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.