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

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 “numerals”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 7 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

Persian Text and Date Converter shows at wp.org #11 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 40+ installs carry it up the search order; its 1.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Table of Contents Plus – Automatic Table of Contents for Posts & Pages places #5 on merit, 4.5★ from 187 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 Parsi Date | بسته فارسی ساز وردپرس و ووکامرس پارسی دیت 100K+ · 4.6★ (130) wp.org #1 2 تقویم فارسی – Persian Calendar 3K+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #2 3 Print My Blog – Print, PDF, & eBook Converter WordPress Plugin 8K+ · 4.8★ (115) wp.org #4 ↓1 1 too low 4 Nepali Date Utilities 1K+ · 4.7★ (3) wp.org #3 1 too high 5 Table of Contents Plus – Automatic Table of Contents for Posts & Pages 200K+ · 4.5★ (187) wp.org #24 ↓2 19 too low 6 AutoListicle: Automatically Update Numbered List Articles 60+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #10 ↓1 4 too low 7 B BuddyPress Groupblog 50+ · 3.3★ (11) wp.org #7 ↓1 8 Blockenberg — 645 Advanced Gutenberg Blocks, 683 Templates and AI Agent for WordPress Block Editor 1K+ · 4.6★ (5) wp.org #9 ↓1 1 too low 9 MWR Hit Counter 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #6 ↓1 3 too high 10 Range Slider for Elementor Forms 300+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #5 ↓1 5 too high 11 Realty by BestWebSoft 10+ · 3.4★ (5) wp.org #14 ↓1 3 too low 12 S Simula Levantine Dates for Arabic Sites 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #8 ↓1 4 too high 13 SDAweb Calendar Sync for Google Calendar 70+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #13 ↓1 14 Sajilo Bikram Sambat — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #12 ↓1 2 too high 15 Binimuse Geʽez Calendar — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #16 ↓1 1 too low 16 Custom Digits for Elementor Counter — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 1 too low 17 F FlatFlow Lite Booking Styles for MotoPress Hotel Booking — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #18 ↓2 1 too low 18 Sankhyaank — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #19 ↓2 1 too low 19 P Pictorix Image Report for Elementor (گزارش تصویری) — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 1 too low 20 Typography Stylist 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 ↓3 1 too low 21 Perennial – Auto-Updating Copyright Year Block — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 ↓2 1 too low 22 WP FOFT Loader 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #15 ↓1 7 too high 23 Fifteenth Labs Case Studies — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 ↓2 24 Persian Text and Date Converter 40+ · 1.0★ (1) wp.org #11 ↓1 13 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.