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← Rankings

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

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

M

Ranked above its merit

Multi Device Switcher shows at wp.org #6 but places #15 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 10K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.3★ average from 11 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin places #6 on merit, 4.8★ from 8706 reviews, but shows at wp.org #14. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 PrettyLinks – Affiliate Link Management, URL Shortener, Link Cloaking, Tracking & Branded Short Links 200K+ · 4.8★ (1322) wp.org #1 2 Multi Step for Contact Form 7 10K+ · 4.7★ (77) wp.org #2 ↑1 3 MultiVendorX – WooCommerce Multivendor Marketplace AI Powered Solutions 2K+ · 4.8★ (432) wp.org #3 ↑1 4 Link Whisper Free 30K+ · 4.2★ (150) wp.org #7 3 too low 5 CURCY – Multi Currency for WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.3★ (227) wp.org #5 6 UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8706) wp.org #14 8 too low 7 WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More 5M+ · 4.8★ (14387) wp.org #15 ↑1 8 too low 8 Simple Link Directory – AI Powered 2K+ · 4.8★ (121) wp.org #9 ↑1 1 too low 9 Webheadcoder Multi-Step Forms for Contact Form 7 50K+ · 4.2★ (49) wp.org #4 ↓2 5 too high 10 BetterLinks – Link Shortener, Link Cloaking, Redirects, Affiliate Link Manager & MCP 20K+ · 4.8★ (85) wp.org #12 ↑1 2 too low 11 YayCurrency – WooCommerce Multi-Currency Switcher 7K+ · 4.8★ (114) wp.org #13 ↑2 2 too low 12 Multi Step Form 8K+ · 4.3★ (36) wp.org #8 ↑1 4 too high 13 Bit Form – Contact Form, Payment Forms, Multi Step Forms, Calculator & Custom Form Builder 10K+ · 5.0★ (259) wp.org #22 9 too low 14 Team Members – Multi Language Supported Team Plugin 6K+ · 5.0★ (85) wp.org #16 ↑1 2 too low 15 M Multi Device Switcher 10K+ · 4.3★ (11) wp.org #6 9 too high 16 CP Multi View Events Calendar 900+ · 4.3★ (46) wp.org #10 ↑1 6 too high 17 All in One SEO – AI SEO Plugin to Boost SEO Rankings & Traffic (Schema, Local SEO, Sitemap & SEO Insights) 2M+ · 4.7★ (5231) wp.org #20 3 too low 18 Broken Link Notifier 1K+ · 4.8★ (14) wp.org #11 ↑1 7 too high 19 EXMAGE – WordPress Image Links 5K+ · 5.0★ (33) wp.org #21 2 too low 20 RTMForm – Contact Form, Multi-Step Forms & Form Templates for Elementor 30K+ · 4.3★ (14) wp.org #17 ↑1 3 too high 21 CF7 Mate – Contact Form 7 Styler, Multi-Step Forms & Conditional Logic 20K+ · 3.9★ (46) wp.org #19 2 too high 22 Popup builder with Gamification, Multi-Step Popups, Page-Level Targeting, and WooCommerce Triggers 70K+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #23 ↑1 1 too low 23 AdOpt | Easy Multi-Regulations Cookie Banner. 7K+ · 4.0★ (8) wp.org #24 1 too low 24 ReachShip WooCommerce Multi-Carrier & Conditional Shipping 300+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #18 ↑1 6 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.