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← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “native advertising”

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 “native advertising”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 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

Рекламная платформа Native Rent shows at wp.org #2 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 16 places. Its 300+ 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

WP Go Maps – Google Map, OpenStreetMap, Leaflet Map places #8 on merit, 4.8★ from 3055 reviews, but shows at wp.org #20. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Product Feed for Google Shopping, Microsoft Advertising and 40+ Channels for WooCommerce Merchant 2K+ · 4.8★ (87) wp.org #1 2 Quads Ads Manager for Google AdSense 20K+ · 4.9★ (1087) wp.org #5 ↑1 3 too low 3 SEOPress – AI SEO Plugin & On-site SEO 300K+ · 4.8★ (1268) wp.org #8 5 too low 4 Actirise – Advertising & Monetization 200+ · 5.0★ (13) wp.org #3 1 too high 5 WPConsent – Cookie Banner & Cookie Consent for Privacy Compliance (GDPR / CCPA / EU Compliance Cookie Notice) 200K+ · 4.8★ (84) wp.org #7 ↑1 2 too low 6 Popup Builder & Popup Maker for WordPress – OptinMonster Email Marketing and Lead Generation 1M+ · 4.3★ (821) wp.org #11 5 too low 7 Google for WooCommerce 800K+ · 2.7★ (268) wp.org #4 3 too high 8 WP Go Maps – Google Map, OpenStreetMap, Leaflet Map 300K+ · 4.8★ (3055) wp.org #20 ↓2 12 too low 9 Genial Comments 4K+ · 4.8★ (20) wp.org #6 ↑1 3 too high 10 WPBot – AI ChatBot for Live Support, Lead Generation, WordPress Automation, AI Services 5K+ · 4.7★ (124) wp.org #15 5 too low 11 Advanced Dynamic Pricing and Discount Rules for WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.7★ (123) wp.org #17 ↓4 6 too low 12 Metorik – Reports & Email Automation for WooCommerce 9K+ · 5.0★ (20) wp.org #12 13 Headers Security Advanced & HSTS WP 90K+ · 4.9★ (79) wp.org #22 ↓1 9 too low 14 AffiliateX – Amazon Affiliate Plugin, Product Boxes, Comparison Tables & Affiliate Link Tracking 9K+ · 4.5★ (35) wp.org #14 ↑2 15 WP Bannerize Pro 800+ · 4.9★ (10) wp.org #10 5 too high 16 affiliate-toolkit – Multi-Network Affiliate & Amazon Product Display 2K+ · 4.5★ (22) wp.org #13 ↑1 3 too high 17 SureCookie – GDPR Cookie Consent Banner, Cookie Scanner & Script Blocking 70K+ · 4.9★ (21) wp.org #18 ↑2 1 too low 18 Рекламная платформа Native Rent 300+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #2 16 too high 19 BeyondSEO – AI SEO to Improve Rankings, Listings & Online Visibility 20K+ · 4.0★ (4) wp.org #21 ↑2 2 too low 20 linkPizza-Manager 700+ · 3.0★ (2) wp.org #9 11 too high 21 Adnow Native Widget 40+ · 3.5★ (4) wp.org #19 ↓2 2 too high 22 AdRoll for WooCommerce Stores 500+ · 2.5★ (10) wp.org #23 ↓1 1 too low 23 Snack Ads.txt 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #16 ↑3 7 too high 24 Inlay — Native Ad Monetisation 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #24

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.