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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “no zero date”

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 “no zero date”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 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

Users Registration Date – Sortable Users Column shows at wp.org #5 but places #16 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 3K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 6 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Pods – Custom Content Types and Fields places #6 on merit, 4.8★ from 418 reviews, but shows at wp.org #10. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Zero Spam for WordPress 20K+ · 4.1★ (143) wp.org #1 2 WP Date and Time Shortcode 10K+ · 4.9★ (31) wp.org #2 3 Jetpack CRM – Clients, Leads, Invoices, Billing, Email Marketing, & Automation 30K+ · 4.3★ (152) wp.org #3 4 All-in-One WP Migration and Backup 5M+ · 4.5★ (7676) wp.org #6 2 too low 5 Burst Statistics – Simple WordPress Analytics (Google Analytics Alternative) 200K+ · 4.9★ (186) wp.org #7 2 too low 6 Pods – Custom Content Types and Fields 100K+ · 4.8★ (418) wp.org #10 ↓1 4 too low 7 WP Rollback – Rollback Plugins and Themes 200K+ · 4.9★ (215) wp.org #9 ↑1 2 too low 8 FluentSnippets – High-Performance Code Snippets, Header & Footer Code, Custom CSS & PHP Code Manager 50K+ · 4.7★ (78) wp.org #8 9 Photo Gallery, Sliders, Proofing and Themes – NextGEN Gallery 300K+ · 4.3★ (4342) wp.org #13 ↓2 4 too low 10 HurryTimer – An Scarcity and Urgency Countdown Timer for WordPress & WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.8★ (170) wp.org #14 4 too low 11 ICS Calendar 10K+ · 4.9★ (72) wp.org #12 ↑1 1 too low 12 First payment date for WooCommerce Subscriptions 400+ · 4.7★ (10) wp.org #4 8 too high 13 OG — Better Share on Social Media 20K+ · 4.8★ (216) wp.org #18 ↑1 5 too low 14 ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2051) wp.org #20 ↓3 6 too low 15 Poptin – Email Marketing Automation, Newsletter & Exit Pop Ups, Email Popups 20K+ · 4.9★ (701) wp.org #24 9 too low 16 Users Registration Date – Sortable Users Column 3K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #5 11 too high 17 Events Manager – Calendar, Bookings, Tickets, Appointments and more! 60K+ · 4.2★ (551) wp.org #17 ↓1 18 Event Booking Manager for WooCommerce – Sell Tickets, Event Registration, RSVP & Event Calendar 7K+ · 4.5★ (167) wp.org #16 ↑2 2 too high 19 Dynamic Month & Year into Posts 8K+ · 5.0★ (18) wp.org #19 ↑1 20 Current Year, Symbols and IP Shortcode 10K+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #11 ↑1 9 too high 21 Enable Abilities for MCP 5K+ · 5.0★ (17) wp.org #23 ↓1 2 too low 22 QuickShipD – Estimated Delivery Date for WooCommerce 40+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #15 7 too high 23 Simple Page Redirect 10K+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #21 2 too high 24 Bandsintown Events 4K+ · 3.3★ (8) wp.org #22 ↑1 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.