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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “nice slug”

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 “nice slug”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 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

WPB Addons for Elementor – News Ticker, Timeline, Team & More Widgets shows at wp.org #8 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 3K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.8★ average from 11 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Translate WordPress – Google Language Translator places #6 on merit, 4.7★ from 620 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 Translate WordPress with GTranslate 900K+ · 4.9★ (4962) wp.org #1 2 ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2051) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 Cyrlitera – Transliteration of Links and File Names 40K+ · 4.6★ (62) wp.org #2 1 too high 4 Simple Download Monitor 20K+ · 4.7★ (158) wp.org #4 5 Rename Media Files: Improve Your SEO 8K+ · 4.8★ (40) wp.org #6 1 too low 6 Translate WordPress – Google Language Translator 100K+ · 4.7★ (620) wp.org #13 7 too low 7 Image Photo Gallery Final Tiles Grid 20K+ · 4.7★ (353) wp.org #9 2 too low 8 Cyr to Lat Reloaded – Transliteration of Links and File Names 30K+ · 4.5★ (15) wp.org #5 3 too high 9 YITH WooCommerce Wishlist 400K+ · 3.9★ (262) wp.org #7 2 too high 10 Import Eventbrite Events 3K+ · 4.5★ (52) wp.org #10 11 P Post Carousel Slider for Elementor 3K+ · 4.5★ (50) wp.org #11 12 Listdom: AI-powered Business Directory with Classifieds Ads Listings 1K+ · 4.9★ (60) wp.org #15 3 too low 13 Schema – All In One Schema Rich Snippets 30K+ · 4.0★ (162) wp.org #16 3 too low 14 WP Snow Effect 1K+ · 4.9★ (390) wp.org #21 7 too low 15 MP3 Audio Player – Music Player, Podcast Player & Radio by Sonaar 20K+ · 4.8★ (302) wp.org #22 7 too low 16 Responsive Mortgage Calculator 7K+ · 4.4★ (21) wp.org #14 2 too high 17 Connect Polylang for Elementor 100K+ · 4.8★ (51) wp.org #17 18 LinkCentral – URL shortener, Affiliate Links & Custom Link Shortener with Link Tracking 400+ · 5.0★ (19) wp.org #20 2 too low 19 WPB Addons for Elementor – News Ticker, Timeline, Team & More Widgets 3K+ · 3.8★ (11) wp.org #8 11 too high 20 System Dashboard 900+ · 4.9★ (16) wp.org #24 4 too low 21 WP-Stats 2K+ · 2.6★ (7) wp.org #12 9 too high 22 Team Members Profile – Employee Directory & Staff Showcase 600+ · 4.3★ (3) wp.org #18 4 too high 23 Advanced Scrollbar – Give Your Site a Sleek Branded Scrolling Feel 600+ · 3.0★ (7) wp.org #19 4 too high 24 W WP Print Friendly 500+ · 3.5★ (2) wp.org #23 1 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.