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

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 “multiselect”, 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.

P

Ranked above its merit

Posts filter multiselect shows at wp.org #1 but places #9 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 100+ 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

WPBruiser Security – No CAPTCHA Anti-Spam & Login Protection places #5 on merit, 4.6★ from 213 reviews, but shows at wp.org #9. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Checkout Field Manager (Checkout Manager) for WooCommerce 80K+ · 4.5★ (784) wp.org #2 1 too low 2 Search & Filter 40K+ · 4.5★ (175) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 Ajax Search Lite – Live Search & Filter 70K+ · 4.8★ (266) wp.org #4 1 too low 4 Accessibility Widget by OneTap – Easy One-Click Accessibility Toolbar 60K+ · 4.9★ (80) wp.org #6 ↑1 2 too low 5 WPBruiser Security – No CAPTCHA Anti-Spam & Login Protection 10K+ · 4.6★ (213) wp.org #9 4 too low 6 WP Ultimate Post Grid 4K+ · 4.4★ (32) wp.org #5 1 too high 7 Dynamic XML Sitemaps Generator for Google 20K+ · 4.7★ (47) wp.org #10 3 too low 8 Custom Checkout Fields for WooCommerce 500+ · 4.8★ (12) wp.org #7 ↓1 1 too high 9 P Posts filter multiselect 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #1 8 too high 10 WCAPF – Ajax Product Filter for WooCommerce 8K+ · 4.3★ (44) wp.org #13 3 too low 11 ilGhera Danea Exporter for WooCommerce 80+ · 4.7★ (14) wp.org #11 12 Custom Datepicker NMR 1K+ · 4.6★ (5) wp.org #8 4 too high 13 BuddyPress Registration Groups 100+ · 4.9★ (7) wp.org #14 1 too low 14 Automatic Product Categories for WooCommerce 400+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #17 3 too low 15 VX Framework 20+ · 4.2★ (5) wp.org #23 ↓1 8 too low 16 Mission – Donation Plugin for WordPress – Fundraising & Recurring Donations 70+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #21 ↓1 5 too low 17 FormsCRM – Connect Forms to CRM directly 1K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #22 ↓1 5 too low 18 U UserElements Member Export for Ultimate Member 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #16 2 too high 19 Block Widgets Monster 30+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #19 ↓1 20 Custom Field For WP Job Manager 800+ · 3.4★ (5) wp.org #12 8 too high 21 Auto Enroll for Tutor LMS 200+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #18 3 too high 22 Easy search and use CC-licensed images 60+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #15 7 too high 23 Nice Select for WordPress 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #24 ↓1 1 too low 24 Property Drive – Real Estate Listings, Search & Map 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #20 ↓1 4 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.