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

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 “nesting”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 of the top 20. 4 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

Wavy Divider shows at wp.org #6 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 700+ 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

NEX-Forms – Ultimate Forms Plugin for WordPress places #9 on merit, 4.1★ from 135 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 Robo Gallery – Photo & Image Slider 40K+ · 4.3★ (406) wp.org #1 2 Carousel Slider Block for Gutenberg 50K+ · 4.8★ (59) wp.org #3 ↓1 1 too low 3 Auto Submenu 2K+ · 4.0★ (25) wp.org #2 ↑1 1 too high 4 Filter Gallery 3K+ · 4.6★ (22) wp.org #4 5 BrikPanel: WooCommerce Dashboard & Analytics, Abandoned Cart Recovery, Order Export, Inventory Management & Bulk Editor 1K+ · 5.0★ (55) wp.org #5 ↑1 6 Exclusive Addons for Elementor 50K+ · 4.7★ (47) wp.org #10 4 too low 7 HappyAddons for Elementor – 160 Elementor Widgets, GSAP Animations & Templates 400K+ · 4.8★ (489) wp.org #12 ↑1 5 too low 8 Spectra Blocks – AI Website Builder for the Block Editor 60K+ · 4.6★ (53) wp.org #11 ↓3 3 too low 9 NEX-Forms – Ultimate Forms Plugin for WordPress 5K+ · 4.1★ (135) wp.org #15 ↓1 6 too low 10 Pattern CSS – The CSS Editor For Blocks 100+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #9 1 too high 11 Cost Calculator for Contact Form 7 – Price Calculator Free 5K+ · 3.8★ (15) wp.org #8 ↑3 3 too high 12 Super List Block 700+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #13 ↓1 1 too low 13 Max Addons for Bricks Builder 1K+ · 4.9★ (9) wp.org #20 ↓1 7 too low 14 Nested Ordered Lists 700+ · 4.5★ (8) wp.org #16 ↓1 2 too low 15 SmartDoc to Post Importer 300+ · 4.5★ (8) wp.org #18 ↓1 3 too low 16 Comments by FastComments – Live, Privacy-First Comment System 30+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #21 ↑1 5 too low 17 Cost Calculator for Elementor 500+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #7 10 too high 18 Wavy Divider 700+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #6 ↓1 12 too high 19 Labinator Content Types Duplicator 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #14 5 too high 20 Cost Calculator & Cost Estimation 100+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #19 ↑1 1 too high 21 Enter Addons – Ultimate Template Builder for Elementor 1K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #23 2 too low 22 WP Designer – Professional WordPress Design & Customization Tool 60+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #24 2 too low 23 WD Quick Pages 30+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #22 ↓1 1 too high 24 Cost Calculator for WPForms 100+ · 4.0★ (2) wp.org #17 ↓1 7 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.