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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “multisite tos”

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 “multisite tos”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 6 of the top 20. 2 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

URL Image Importer – Import External Images to the Media Library from URL, CSV & XML shows at wp.org #11 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 7 places. Its 1K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Points and Rewards for WooCommerce – Create Loyalty Programs, Reward Customer Purchases, Referral Points, User Badges, and Gamification places #11 on merit, 4.5★ from 180 reviews, but shows at wp.org #15. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 MailPoet – Newsletters, Email Marketing, and Automation 500K+ · 4.4★ (1435) wp.org #1 2 Ad Inserter – Ad Manager & AdSense Ads 300K+ · 4.9★ (2433) wp.org #2 3 Responsive Lightbox & Gallery 100K+ · 4.9★ (2003) wp.org #3 4 BlogVault Backup & Staging 80K+ · 4.6★ (332) wp.org #6 2 too low 5 ShortPixel Image Optimizer – Optimize Images, Convert WebP & AVIF 300K+ · 4.5★ (830) wp.org #7 2 too low 6 Big File Uploads – Increase Maximum File Upload Size 100K+ · 4.9★ (403) wp.org #8 2 too low 7 Slash Edit: Admin Shortcuts to Edit Posts and Pages Faster 500+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #5 2 too high 8 MaxGalleria 1K+ · 4.4★ (65) wp.org #10 2 too low 9 Infinite Uploads – Offload, Optimize & Organize Your Media Library 800+ · 4.4★ (20) wp.org #9 10 VietQR 4K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #4 6 too high 11 Points and Rewards for WooCommerce – Create Loyalty Programs, Reward Customer Purchases, Referral Points, User Badges, and Gamification 6K+ · 4.5★ (180) wp.org #15 4 too low 12 Virtual Classroom & Video Conferencing – BigBlueButton 400+ · 4.6★ (10) wp.org #13 1 too low 13 Legal Terms and Conditions Popup for User Login and WooCommerce Checkout 500+ · 5.0★ (14) wp.org #21 ↓2 8 too low 14 Better Payment – Instant Payments, Donations, Fundraising with Subscriptions & More 5K+ · 4.6★ (14) wp.org #12 2 too high 15 AntiSpam for Contact Form 7 10K+ · 4.2★ (13) wp.org #14 1 too high 16 Membership For WooCommerce 800+ · 4.4★ (28) wp.org #24 8 too low 17 Easy Video Reviews – Testimonial Grid & Social Proof 100+ · 3.8★ (10) wp.org #16 1 too high 18 URL Image Importer – Import External Images to the Media Library from URL, CSV & XML 1K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #11 7 too high 19 ShortPixel AI Alt Text Generator 90+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #20 ↑3 1 too low 20 Fleet Agent Site Manager – Securely Connects Your Sites to a WPMgr Dashboard 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #22 ↑2 2 too low 21 Joinotify – WhatsApp Notifications & Marketing Automation 40+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #23 2 too low 22 BuddyForms Moderation ( Former: Review Logic ) 30+ · 3.7★ (3) wp.org #19 ↑2 3 too high 23 MatrixMap – Google Maps, OpenStreetMap, Store Locator & World Maps 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #17 6 too high 24 SpeedyGo 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #18 ↑2 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.