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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “multi instance”

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 “multi instance”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 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

VENTI Multi Location Marker for Elementor shows at wp.org #10 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 14 places. Its 30+ 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

Image Widget places #12 on merit, 4.9★ from 287 reviews, but shows at wp.org #21. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Webheadcoder Multi-Step Forms for Contact Form 7 50K+ · 4.2★ (49) wp.org #1 2 CP Multi View Events Calendar 900+ · 4.3★ (46) wp.org #2 3 Floating Chat Widget: Contact Chat Icons, Telegram Chat, Line Messenger, WeChat, Email, SMS, Call Button – Chaty 300K+ · 5.0★ (1244) wp.org #6 ↓1 3 too low 4 UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8706) wp.org #9 ↓1 5 too low 5 Dokan: AI Powered WooCommerce Multivendor Marketplace Solution – Build Your Own Amazon, eBay, Etsy 30K+ · 4.6★ (769) wp.org #5 ↓1 6 WP Datepicker 6K+ · 4.8★ (37) wp.org #4 2 too high 7 Popup builder with Gamification, Multi-Step Popups, Page-Level Targeting, and WooCommerce Triggers 70K+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #3 4 too high 8 Product Addons for Woocommerce – Product Options with Custom Fields 30K+ · 4.9★ (474) wp.org #14 ↓1 6 too low 9 Fluent Forms – Customizable Contact Forms, Survey, Quiz, & Conversational Form Builder 800K+ · 4.8★ (807) wp.org #12 ↓2 3 too low 10 GTM4WP – A Google Tag Manager (GTM) plugin for WordPress 700K+ · 4.5★ (155) wp.org #8 ↓2 2 too high 11 Redux Framework 900K+ · 4.4★ (273) wp.org #13 ↓2 2 too low 12 Image Widget 100K+ · 4.9★ (287) wp.org #21 ↓2 9 too low 13 ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2051) wp.org #22 ↑2 9 too low 14 Robo Gallery – Photo & Image Slider 40K+ · 4.3★ (406) wp.org #20 6 too low 15 affiliate-toolkit – Multi-Network Affiliate & Amazon Product Display 2K+ · 4.5★ (22) wp.org #7 8 too high 16 M Media Search Enhanced 5K+ · 4.4★ (28) wp.org #16 ↓1 17 OttoKit: All-in-One Automation Platform 90K+ · 4.9★ (124) wp.org #24 ↓1 7 too low 18 Next Active Directory Integration 2K+ · 4.8★ (16) wp.org #18 19 Event Genius – Event Calendar, Event Registration, and Attendee Management 600+ · 4.8★ (17) wp.org #19 ↓2 20 EventON – Events Calendar 6K+ · 4.1★ (44) wp.org #15 ↓1 5 too high 21 FormGent – Next-Gen AI Form Builder for WordPress with Multi-Step, Quizzes, Payments & More 1K+ · 4.4★ (7) wp.org #17 ↓1 4 too high 22 Multi-Carrier Shippo Shipping Rates & Address Validation for WooCommerce 3K+ · 3.8★ (11) wp.org #11 ↑1 11 too high 23 Serious Slider 20K+ · 3.4★ (8) wp.org #23 ↓1 24 VENTI Multi Location Marker for Elementor 30+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #10 ↓1 14 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.