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

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

Audio Editor & Recorder shows at wp.org #8 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 100+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

merit plugin signals wp.org

Unbloater 5K+ · 5.0★ (17) thin reviews wp.org #1 2

Instant Images – One-click Image Uploads from Unsplash, Openverse, Pixabay, Pexels, and Giphy 100K+ · 4.8★ (59) wp.org #2 3

NinjaFirewall (WP Edition) – Advanced Security Plugin and Firewall 100K+ · 4.9★ (220) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #3 4

CSV Importer 3K+ · 4.2★ (28) wp.org #6 2 too low 5

A faster website! (aka defer.js) 200+ · 4.9★ (45) wp.org #11 5 too low 7

French Typo 200+ · 4.0★ (4) thin reviews wp.org #4 3 too high 8

Simpler Checkout 50+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews wp.org #7 ↑1 1 too high 9

PublishPress Shortlinks – The Link Manager for WordPress 200+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews wp.org #9 ↑3 10

Kodlo Media Manager 100+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews wp.org #10 ↑3 11

Alma – Pay in installments or later for WooCommerce 1K+ · 3.7★ (6) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #15 4 too low 12

PlugStudio SVG CurrentColor Normalizer 20+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews wp.org #12 ↓2 13

Zoofi Ads.txt Helper for AdSense 20+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews wp.org #16 3 too low 14

KaliCart Bridge – Agentic Commerce Catalog, ChatGPT Product Feed & MCP 10+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews wp.org #18 ↑1 4 too low 15

Secure Owl Firewall 10+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews wp.org #14 ↓7 1 too high 16

Aetos Arabic Search Normalizer — · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews wp.org #19 ↓1 3 too low 17

Web Makinası – Sohbet Butonu 20+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews wp.org #21 4 too low 18

TagToSale – Conversion Tracking & Marketing Pixels 10+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews wp.org #17 1 too high 19

Audio Editor & Recorder 100+ · 3.0★ (2) throws errorsnot PHP-currentheavy footprint thin reviews wp.org #8 ↑1 11 too high 20

AudioLinter – Podcast Loudness Check & Audio Normalization — · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews wp.org #23 ↓1 3 too low 21

Quarivo Comment Shield 20+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews wp.org #24 3 too low 22

Order Source Analytics for WooCommerce 10+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews wp.org #20 2 too high 23

Forward: Queue Posts 10+ · 4.0★ (2) thin reviews wp.org #13 ↑1 10 too high 24

Arabic Search Enhancement — · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews 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.