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

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 favicons”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 of the top 20.

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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.

Ranked above its merit

Forma Favicon shows at wp.org #3 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 15 places. Its 200+ installs carry it up the search order; its 0.0★ average from 0 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

CartFlows – Funnel Builder & Checkout Plugin for WooCommerce places #9 on merit, 4.8★ from 517 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 MainWP Dashboard: Self-hosted WordPress Management for Agencies 20K+ · 4.9★ (2354) wp.org #5 4 too low 2 F Favicon Rotator 20K+ · 4.3★ (12) wp.org #1 1 too high 3 Domain Mapping System | Create Microsites with Multiple Alias Domains (multisite optional) 2K+ · 4.5★ (56) wp.org #2 1 too high 4 CMP – Coming Soon & Maintenance Plugin by NiteoThemes 200K+ · 4.7★ (326) wp.org #4 5 UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8709) wp.org #6 1 too low 6 WP Custom Admin Interface 30K+ · 4.7★ (160) wp.org #7 1 too low 7 GEO Plugin by Squirrly SEO 30K+ · 4.6★ (683) wp.org #13 6 too low 8 Password Protected 300K+ · 4.4★ (142) wp.org #9 1 too low 9 CartFlows – Funnel Builder & Checkout Plugin for WooCommerce 200K+ · 4.8★ (517) wp.org #22 13 too low 10 Branda – White Label & Branding, Free Login Page Customizer 10K+ · 4.5★ (30) wp.org #10 11 Adminify – White Label, Admin Menu Editor, Login Customizer 6K+ · 4.3★ (109) wp.org #15 4 too low 12 Infinity23 (Formerly Tag Manager) – One Plugin That Replaces All The Rest 20K+ · 4.7★ (53) wp.org #16 4 too low 13 WP-Memory-Usage 10K+ · 4.5★ (21) wp.org #11 2 too high 14 Each domain a page 200+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #8 6 too high 15 Simple Link Directory – AI Powered 2K+ · 4.8★ (121) wp.org #24 9 too low 16 Quill Forms | Conversational Multi Step Forms, Surveys & quizzes 3K+ · 4.8★ (44) wp.org #21 5 too low 17 Product Labels, Quick View, Buy Now, Pre-Orders, Frequently Bought Together & More for WooCommerce – Merchant 9K+ · 4.2★ (11) wp.org #12 5 too high 18 Forma Favicon 200+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #3 15 too high 19 Advanced Settings 3 200+ · 3.9★ (7) wp.org #17 2 too high 20 Blaminhor Essentials – SEO, Cache, Backup, SMTP, Redirects, Broken Links, Cookie Banner, Hide Login & More 80+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #18 2 too high 21 HuxxConnect – REST API Connector for WordPress 10+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #23 2 too low 22 CM Curated List Manager – Effortless tool for link management 70+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #19 3 too high 23 Init Embed Posts – Stylish, Fast, Portable 50+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #20 3 too high 24 Alada Favicon – Conditional Site Icons 30+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #14 10 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.