Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

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

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 “near”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 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

WP Healthcheck shows at wp.org #10 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 1K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

upPrev places #11 on merit, 4.6★ from 126 reviews, but shows at wp.org #16. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Post Types Order 600K+ · 4.5★ (296) wp.org #1 2 Ad Inserter – Ad Manager & AdSense Ads 300K+ · 4.9★ (2433) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720) wp.org #4 1 too low 4 Speculative Loading 70K+ · 5.0★ (18) wp.org #2 2 too high 5 Custom Permalinks 100K+ · 4.1★ (116) wp.org #7 2 too low 6 Automatic Featured Images from Videos 6K+ · 4.6★ (36) wp.org #6 7 GEO my WP 3K+ · 4.6★ (139) wp.org #8 1 too low 8 Fourteen Colors 8K+ · 4.8★ (48) wp.org #9 1 too low 9 Quick 301 Redirects 7K+ · 4.6★ (12) wp.org #5 4 too high 10 WP Simple Booking Calendar 10K+ · 4.8★ (227) wp.org #13 ↑1 3 too low 11 upPrev 1K+ · 4.6★ (126) wp.org #16 ↓6 5 too low 12 HTML5 Maps 4K+ · 4.6★ (45) wp.org #12 ↑1 13 Worth The Read 3K+ · 4.3★ (27) wp.org #11 ↑1 2 too high 14 12 Step Meeting List 900+ · 5.0★ (28) wp.org #17 ↓1 3 too low 15 FOX – Currency Switcher Professional for WooCommerce 50K+ · 4.4★ (250) wp.org #18 ↓1 3 too low 16 MultiParcels Shipping For WooCommerce 4K+ · 4.6★ (62) wp.org #20 ↓1 4 too low 17 Reviews Widgets for Google, TripAdvisor, Yelp & Recommendations 10K+ · 4.9★ (326) wp.org #23 ↓1 6 too low 18 Pressable Automated Migration 4K+ · 5.0★ (10) wp.org #21 ↓1 3 too low 19 Custom WP Store Locator 300+ · 4.6★ (14) wp.org #19 ↓1 20 WP Healthcheck 1K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #10 ↑1 10 too high 21 Counter live visitors for WooCommerce 4K+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #14 7 too high 22 W WPFrank Companion 1K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #22 ↓1 23 LNC AI Quiz Generator for NEAR AI Cloud 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #15 8 too high 24 ClipCloud – Image Generation 400+ · 5.0★ (1) 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.