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

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 authors”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 of the top 20. 1 plugin is 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 #5 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 15 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

Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder places #9 on merit, 4.8★ from 2143 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 Co-Authors, Multiple Authors and Guest Authors in an Author Box with PublishPress Authors 20K+ · 4.9★ (114) wp.org #1 2 Molongui Authorship – Author Boxes, Guest Authors & Co-Authors for WordPress 10K+ · 4.7★ (158) wp.org #4 2 too low 3 WP Post Author – Author Box, Multiple Authors, Guest Authors & Custom Avatars 10K+ · 4.2★ (22) wp.org #2 ↑1 1 too high 4 Co-Authors Plus 20K+ · 3.5★ (77) wp.org #3 ↓1 1 too high 5 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) wp.org #6 ↑2 1 too low 6 All in One SEO – AI SEO Plugin to Boost SEO Rankings & Traffic (Schema, Local SEO, Sitemap & SEO Insights) 2M+ · 4.7★ (5231) wp.org #7 ↓2 1 too low 7 Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423) wp.org #17 ↑1 10 too low 8 Schedule Post Changes With PublishPress Future: Unpublish, Delete, Change Status, Trash, Change Categories 100K+ · 4.5★ (172) wp.org #14 ↓2 6 too low 9 Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2143) wp.org #21 ↓1 12 too low 10 Modular DS: Monitor, update, and backup multiple websites 40K+ · 5.0★ (133) wp.org #18 ↓1 8 too low 11 Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) 2M+ · 4.5★ (1440) wp.org #15 4 too low 12 My Calendar – Accessible Event Manager 20K+ · 4.7★ (159) wp.org #19 ↓4 7 too low 13 Author Avatars List/Block 4K+ · 4.8★ (32) wp.org #12 ↓2 1 too high 14 GTM4WP – A Google Tag Manager (GTM) plugin for WordPress 700K+ · 4.5★ (155) wp.org #16 ↓3 2 too low 15 WP Create Multiple Posts & Pages 1K+ · 4.9★ (10) wp.org #8 ↓2 7 too high 16 Starbox – the Author Box for Humans 10K+ · 4.5★ (203) wp.org #24 ↓3 8 too low 17 P Posts 2 Posts 9K+ · 4.8★ (101) wp.org #22 5 too low 18 Author Box WP Lens 900+ · 5.0★ (12) wp.org #11 ↑3 7 too high 19 Osom Author Pro 1K+ · 4.9★ (10) wp.org #13 ↓2 6 too high 20 HM Multiple Roles 1K+ · 3.6★ (5) wp.org #5 15 too high 21 About Author 200+ · 4.4★ (5) wp.org #20 ↓1 1 too high 22 ThemeRuby Multi Authors – Assign Multiple Writers to Posts 2K+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #9 ↓2 13 too high 23 Authorsy – Author Box, Multiple Authors, Guest Authors & Post Rating 1K+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #10 ↓1 13 too high 24 Easy Author Avatar Image 1K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #23 1 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.