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← Rankings

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

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 “multiple”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 14 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

HM Multiple Roles shows at wp.org #10 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 1K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.6★ average from 5 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Widgets for Google Reviews places #10 on merit, 4.9★ from 2667 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 Site Kit by Google – Analytics, Search Console, AdSense, Speed 5M+ · 4.2★ (1012) wp.org #1 ↑4 2 Drag and Drop Multiple File Upload for Contact Form 7 60K+ · 4.8★ (94) wp.org #2 ↓1 3 Co-Authors, Multiple Authors and Guest Authors in an Author Box with PublishPress Authors 20K+ · 4.9★ (114) wp.org #3 ↑4 4 M Multiple Roles 5K+ · 4.7★ (15) wp.org #4 ↓2 5 MainWP Child – Securely Connects to the MainWP Dashboard to Manage Multiple Sites 700K+ · 5.0★ (71) wp.org #5 ↓2 6 Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5038) wp.org #13 ↑2 7 too low 7 LiteSpeed Cache 7M+ · 4.8★ (2778) wp.org #16 ↓4 9 too low 8 Modular DS: Monitor, update, and backup multiple websites 40K+ · 5.0★ (133) wp.org #15 ↓1 7 too low 9 WC Multiple Email Recipients 4K+ · 5.0★ (10) wp.org #6 3 too high 10 Widgets for Google Reviews 1M+ · 4.9★ (2667) wp.org #22 12 too low 11 Multiple Domain Mapping on Single Site 6K+ · 4.6★ (48) wp.org #8 3 too high 12 Drag and Drop Multiple File Upload for WooCommerce 5K+ · 4.9★ (20) wp.org #9 ↓1 3 too high 13 Address Book & Multiple Shipping for WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.8★ (20) wp.org #7 ↓3 6 too high 14 WooCommerce 7M+ · 4.5★ (4833) wp.org #17 ↓4 3 too low 15 Wishlist for WooCommerce: Multiple Wishlists per Customer 2K+ · 4.9★ (53) wp.org #19 4 too low 16 Multiple Columns for Gravity Forms 10K+ · 4.5★ (30) wp.org #11 ↓2 5 too high 17 WP Create Multiple Posts & Pages 1K+ · 4.9★ (10) wp.org #12 ↓2 5 too high 18 Multiple Post Passwords 2K+ · 5.0★ (11) wp.org #14 ↓3 4 too high 19 WP Post Author – Author Box, Multiple Authors, Guest Authors & Custom Avatars 10K+ · 4.2★ (22) wp.org #23 4 too low 20 Maximum, Minimum and Multiple Quantity for WooCommerce Shops 3K+ · 4.4★ (36) wp.org #20 21 MPG – Multiple Page Generator, Bulk Landing Pages & Programmatic SEO 2K+ · 3.9★ (27) wp.org #24 ↓8 3 too low 22 Multiple Form Instances Add-on for Gravity Forms 800+ · 4.2★ (10) wp.org #18 ↓1 4 too high 23 HM Multiple Roles 1K+ · 3.6★ (5) wp.org #10 13 too high 24 WPC Multiple External Product URLs for WooCommerce 300+ · 5.0★ (2) 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.