wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “newest comments”

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 “newest comments”, 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

SocialFeeds shows at wp.org #8 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 14 places. Its 40K+ 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

GeoDirectory – WP Business Directory Plugin and Classified Listings Directory places #9 on merit, 4.8★ from 716 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 signals wp.org

Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5040) wp.org #1 2

Comments – wpDiscuz 60K+ · 4.7★ (581) wp.org #2 3

Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408) wp.org #3 4

Smash Balloon Social Photo Feed – Easy Social Feeds Plugin 1M+ · 4.9★ (4358) wp.org #11 ↓2 7 too low 5

Cool Timeline (Horizontal & Vertical Timeline) 20K+ · 4.7★ (333) wp.org #13 8 too low 6

Disqus Comment System 30K+ · 2.7★ (219) low rating, top placement wp.org #5 1 too high 7

CMB2 300K+ · 5.0★ (91) wp.org #10 ↑1 3 too low 8

Delete Duplicate Posts 10K+ · 4.8★ (153) wp.org #12 4 too low 9

GeoDirectory – WP Business Directory Plugin and Classified Listings Directory 10K+ · 4.8★ (716) wp.org #20 ↑1 11 too low 10

Flex Posts – Responsive Posts Block 2K+ · 5.0★ (24) thin reviews wp.org #9 ↑1 1 too high 11 P Post Comments as bbPress Topics 300+ · 4.3★ (18) thin reviews wp.org #6 ↑1 5 too high 12

Simple History – Track, Log, and Audit WordPress Changes 300K+ · 4.9★ (491) wp.org #23 ↓3 11 too low 13

Revopic – Photo Reviews for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.7★ (77) wp.org #17 4 too low 14 R Recent Comments Widget with Comment Excerpts 100+ · 4.5★ (6) thin reviews wp.org #4 10 too high 15

More Sorting Options for WooCommerce 2K+ · 4.3★ (11) thin reviews wp.org #7 ↓1 8 too high 16

Comment Reply Email 500+ · 4.7★ (15) thin reviews wp.org #15 ↓1 1 too high 17

Happy FAQs – FAQ, Product FAQ & Help Center 1K+ · 4.8★ (23) thin reviews wp.org #21 4 too low 18

CodeColorer 1K+ · 4.9★ (11) thin reviews wp.org #24 ↓1 6 too low 19

Timeline Blocks 400+ · 4.8★ (5) thin reviews wp.org #18 1 too high 20

Post Layouts 900+ · 4.5★ (4) thin reviews wp.org #16 4 too high 21

Reviewkit – Trustpilot Reviews Widget & Embed 1K+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews wp.org #14 ↑1 7 too high 22

SocialFeeds 40K+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews wp.org #8 14 too high 23

Datafeedr Product Sets 4K+ · 4.3★ (4) thin reviews wp.org #19 4 too high 24

AOS Comment Spam Cleanup 10+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews wp.org #22 2 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.