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

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 “note”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 of the top 20. 3 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

WP-Note 2019 shows at wp.org #6 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 16 places. Its 300+ 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

Ultimate Member – User Profile, Registration, Login, Member Directory, Content Restriction & Membership Plugin places #7 on merit, 4.4★ from 1445 reviews, but shows at wp.org #24. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Print Invoice & Delivery Notes for WooCommerce 30K+ · 4.4★ (140) wp.org #1 2 WP Dashboard Notes 20K+ · 4.6★ (110) wp.org #2 ↑2 3 WebToffee WooCommerce PDF Invoices, Packing Slips, Delivery Notes & Shipping Labels 50K+ · 4.9★ (285) wp.org #3 ↓1 4 Plugin Notes Plus 9K+ · 5.0★ (62) wp.org #4 ↓1 5 Peter's Post Notes – Admin Notes for Posts and Pages 3K+ · 4.9★ (26) wp.org #5 ↑1 6 The Events Calendar 600K+ · 4.2★ (2461) wp.org #18 ↑2 12 too low 7 Ultimate Member – User Profile, Registration, Login, Member Directory, Content Restriction & Membership Plugin 200K+ · 4.4★ (1445) wp.org #24 17 too low 8 User Notes 800+ · 4.8★ (15) wp.org #10 2 too low 9 PDF Invoices & Packing Slips for WooCommerce 300K+ · 5.0★ (1865) wp.org #22 13 too low 10 Sticky Notes for WP Dashboard 1K+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #7 3 too high 11 OpenStation – Admin Dashboard Notes, Custom Dashboard, AI Assistant & PWA 1K+ · 5.0★ (23) wp.org #15 4 too low 12 Page & Post Notes 1K+ · 4.4★ (14) wp.org #11 1 too high 13 KeepInMind Dashboard Notes 300+ · 5.0★ (9) wp.org #13 14 Product Notes Tab & Private Admin Notes for WooCommerce 1K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #8 ↑1 6 too high 15 D Dashboard Notes 500+ · 4.7★ (19) wp.org #20 ↓3 5 too low 16 JAMP Notes (Just Another Memo Plugin) 400+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #16 17 Simple Post Notes 9K+ · 5.0★ (24) wp.org #23 ↓2 6 too low 18 WooCommerce Stripe Payment Gateway 700K+ · 3.1★ (237) wp.org #17 ↓3 1 too high 19 Admin Page Notes 700+ · 5.0★ (9) wp.org #21 ↓3 2 too low 20 Set Price Note (Units, Offers, Editions) for WooCommerce 600+ · 4.7★ (3) wp.org #9 ↓1 11 too high 21 Customer Notes for WooCommerce 200+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #14 ↑1 7 too high 22 WP-Note 2019 300+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #6 ↓1 16 too high 23 CBX Changelog & Release Note 300+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #19 4 too high 24 WPC Order Notes for WooCommerce 800+ · 4.3★ (3) wp.org #12 12 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.