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

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 “ms”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 of the top 20. 2 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

W3 Relations Carousel for Elementor shows at wp.org #7 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 14 places. Its 90+ 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

Newsletters places #11 on merit, 4.7★ from 246 reviews, but shows at wp.org #22. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 W3 Total Cache 900K+ · 4.4★ (5420) wp.org #1 2 Events Manager – Calendar, Bookings, Tickets, Appointments and more! 60K+ · 4.2★ (551) wp.org #2 3 WP Data Access – App Builder for Tables, Forms, Dashboards, Charts & Maps 10K+ · 4.9★ (88) wp.org #4 1 too low 4 DietPress 2K+ · 5.0★ (38) wp.org #3 1 too high 5 Check & Log Email – Easy Email Testing & Mail logging 90K+ · 4.8★ (292) wp.org #5 6 wpDataTables – WordPress Data Table, Dynamic Tables & Table Charts Plugin 60K+ · 4.5★ (449) wp.org #12 6 too low 7 WPO365 | MICROSOFT 365 GRAPH MAILER 10K+ · 5.0★ (40) wp.org #8 ↑1 1 too low 8 WPO365 | SEAMLESS WORDPRESS + MICROSOFT INTEGRATION (WPO365 | LOGIN) 10K+ · 4.9★ (154) wp.org #14 6 too low 9 MPL-Publisher — Ebook & Audiobook Creator 700+ · 4.9★ (46) wp.org #10 1 too low 10 Easy Watermark 30K+ · 3.7★ (159) wp.org #13 3 too low 11 Newsletters 2K+ · 4.7★ (246) wp.org #22 11 too low 12 Bradmax Player 1K+ · 4.3★ (11) wp.org #11 1 too high 13 Digital Goods for WooCommerce Checkout 3K+ · 4.5★ (42) wp.org #20 7 too low 14 Simple Google Calendar Outlook Events Widget 1K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #15 1 too low 15 Visibility – Lightweight SEO, AEO and GEO for Search and AI 600+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #16 1 too low 16 Simple Digital Clock 🕒 500+ · 4.3★ (12) wp.org #18 2 too low 17 Login Armor 600+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #23 6 too low 18 InstantClick 60+ · 4.0★ (6) wp.org #17 1 too high 19 miniOrange Embed Outlook Teams Calendar Events 300+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #6 13 too high 20 Ms Gallery For Divi Lite 50+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #9 ↓1 11 too high 21 W3 Relations Carousel for Elementor 90+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #7 14 too high 22 YeeMail — Email Template Builder & Customizer 700+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #24 2 too low 23 Next Watermark 200+ · 3.4★ (11) wp.org #21 2 too high 24 Add-On for Microsoft Teams and Gravity Forms 100+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #19 5 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.