Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

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

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

Curtain Raiser for Inaugural Ceremony shows at wp.org #10 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 90+ 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

Blog Designer Pack – Blog, Post Grid, Post Slider, Post Carousel, Category Post, News places #4 on merit, 4.7★ from 79 reviews, but shows at wp.org #13. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Charitable – Donation & Fundraising Platform (Donation Forms, Recurring Donations & Fundraising Campaigns) 10K+ · 4.9★ (219) wp.org #1 ↑1 2 Donation Platform for WooCommerce: Fundraising & Donation Management 7K+ · 4.9★ (99) wp.org #7 5 too low 3 Post Slider and Post Carousel with Post Vertical Scrolling Widget – A Responsive Post Slider 10K+ · 4.7★ (31) wp.org #6 3 too low 4 Blog Designer Pack – Blog, Post Grid, Post Slider, Post Carousel, Category Post, News 30K+ · 4.7★ (79) wp.org #13 ↓1 9 too low 5 SureMail – SMTP and Email Logs Plugin with Amazon SES, Postmark, and Other Providers 200K+ · 4.7★ (25) wp.org #9 4 too low 6 Team Showcase – Responsive Team Members Grid, Slider & Carousel Plugin 2K+ · 3.4★ (24) wp.org #5 1 too high 7 Chatbot for WordPress by Collect.chat ⚡️ 6K+ · 4.4★ (38) wp.org #15 ↑1 8 too low 8 Woostify Sites Library 10K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #4 4 too high 9 Inspiro Starter Sites – 20+ Free Demo Templates for Gutenberg & Elementor 10K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #2 ↓1 7 too high 10 Schema Package – Structured Data & Rich Snippets Tool for SEO 200+ · 4.8★ (20) wp.org #21 ↑2 11 too low 11 PitchPrint 300+ · 3.7★ (30) wp.org #24 13 too low 12 SKT Donation – Charity and Fundraising Plugin 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #3 9 too high 13 Blogsqode – Blog Layouts and News Post Design 300+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #11 2 too high 14 Whistleblowing & Contact Form – Secure, Anonymous, Drag & Drop Builder 200+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #8 6 too high 15 IDonate – Blood Donation, Request And Donor Management System 100+ · 4.2★ (5) wp.org #14 ↓1 1 too high 16 Mission – Donation Plugin for WordPress – Fundraising & Recurring Donations 70+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #16 ↑1 17 Boostify Header Footer Builder for Elementor 6K+ · 3.6★ (9) wp.org #20 ↑1 3 too low 18 AI ChatBot for WordPress by AI BotKit – Live in 2 Minutes, No Code 100+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #18 ↑1 19 CourseTransit 10+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #19 ↑1 20 Curtain Raiser for Inaugural Ceremony 90+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #10 10 too high 21 CharityGlow — Donations & Fundraising 10+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #23 ↑1 2 too low 22 SureDonation – Donation Forms, Fundraising Campaigns & Donor Management 4K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #12 ↑2 10 too high 23 Klubraum Membership Request 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 ↑1 6 too high 24 Funtionalities for Alpus theme 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.