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

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

Newspaper Social Media Photo Card shows at wp.org #2 but places #14 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 100+ 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

Logo Slider – Logo Showcase, Logo Carousel, Logo Gallery and Client Logo Presentation places #11 on merit, 4.7★ from 252 reviews, but shows at wp.org #18. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Issues and Series for Newspapers, Magazines, Publishers, Writers 2K+ · 4.5★ (73) wp.org #1 2 PublishPress Blocks – Block Controls, Block Visibility, Block Permissions 20K+ · 4.7★ (204) wp.org #4 ↑1 2 too low 3 Royal Addons for Elementor – Addons and Templates Kit for Elementor 600K+ · 4.8★ (612) wp.org #5 ↑1 2 too low 4 Seraphinite Accelerator 50K+ · 4.8★ (476) wp.org #7 ↑1 3 too low 5 AdRotate Banner Manager 20K+ · 4.3★ (655) wp.org #6 ↑1 1 too low 6 Magazine Blocks – Blog Designer, Magazine & Newspaper Website Builder, Page Builder with Posts Blocks, Post Grid 6K+ · 4.9★ (11) wp.org #3 3 too high 7 Real Media Library: Media Library Folder & File Manager 100K+ · 4.8★ (297) wp.org #9 ↓5 2 too low 8 BlockSpare – Gutenberg Blocks, AI Content Generator & Site Builder for news, magazine, blog and business sites 10K+ · 4.8★ (34) wp.org #8 ↑1 9 Superb Addons: Blocks, Patterns, Pre-built Pages, Sliders, Popups, Free Forms, Animations & More 80K+ · 4.9★ (23) wp.org #10 1 too low 10 Footnotes Made Easy 2K+ · 4.6★ (40) wp.org #14 4 too low 11 Logo Slider – Logo Showcase, Logo Carousel, Logo Gallery and Client Logo Presentation 30K+ · 4.7★ (252) wp.org #18 7 too low 12 AF Companion – Starter Sites, Speed Booster & Growth Suite for Professional Publishing 10K+ · 4.9★ (34) wp.org #13 1 too low 13 Image SEO – AI-Driven Image SEO Optimizer 900+ · 3.4★ (57) wp.org #16 ↓1 3 too low 14 Newspaper Social Media Photo Card 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #2 12 too high 15 WP Top News — Build a Complete News Portal in WordPress 800+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #19 ↑2 4 too low 16 WPC Added To Cart Notification for WooCommerce 3K+ · 4.9★ (9) wp.org #17 1 too low 17 Printable PDF Newspaper 100+ · 4.8★ (4) wp.org #21 ↓2 4 too low 18 Obituary Assistant 200+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #23 5 too low 19 Breadcrumb based on URL 300+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #12 7 too high 20 Back and Forward Button 200+ · 3.8★ (4) wp.org #24 4 too low 21 Print 🖨 300+ · 3.5★ (4) wp.org #15 ↑1 6 too high 22 SK ePaper Manager 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #11 11 too high 23 Bizzview – Quick View for WooCommerce 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #20 3 too high 24 Stylish Scrolling Title 100+ · 5.0★ (1) 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.