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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “old school”

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 “old school”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 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

WPDevs Classic Editor & Widgets shows at wp.org #8 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 20+ 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

Formidable Forms – Contact Form, Survey, Quiz, Payment, Calculator Form & Custom Form Builder places #9 on merit, 4.8★ from 1388 reviews, but shows at wp.org #19. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Revive Social – Social Media Auto Post and Scheduling Automation Plugin 20K+ · 4.0★ (556) wp.org #2 1 too low 2 HurryTimer – An Scarcity and Urgency Countdown Timer for WordPress & WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.8★ (170) wp.org #5 ↑5 3 too low 3 Masteriyo LMS – LMS Course Builder, Quizzes & Certificates 6K+ · 4.8★ (184) wp.org #3 4 WP Store Locator 40K+ · 4.8★ (312) wp.org #6 ↓2 2 too low 5 3D FlipBook – PDF Embedder, PDF Flipbook Viewer, Flipbook Image Gallery 70K+ · 4.8★ (182) wp.org #7 ↓2 2 too low 6 WPBot – AI ChatBot for Live Support, Lead Generation, WordPress Automation, AI Services 5K+ · 4.7★ (124) wp.org #4 ↓1 2 too high 7 Cool Timeline (Horizontal & Vertical Timeline) 20K+ · 4.7★ (333) wp.org #11 ↓2 4 too low 8 LearnPress – WordPress LMS Plugin for Create and Sell Online Courses 70K+ · 4.3★ (597) wp.org #9 ↓2 1 too low 9 Formidable Forms – Contact Form, Survey, Quiz, Payment, Calculator Form & Custom Form Builder 300K+ · 4.8★ (1388) wp.org #19 ↓1 10 too low 10 Educare – Students & Result Management System 600+ · 4.6★ (24) wp.org #10 ↓2 11 Add Old School Elements Icons Module for WPBakery Page Builder 80+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #1 10 too high 12 Sunshine Photo Cart – Client Photo Gallery & Photo Proofing for Photographers 1K+ · 4.7★ (138) wp.org #18 ↓1 6 too low 13 Knowledge Base documentation & wiki plugin – BasePress Docs 2K+ · 4.8★ (75) wp.org #15 ↓1 2 too low 14 Event Booking Manager for WooCommerce – Sell Tickets, Event Registration, RSVP & Event Calendar 7K+ · 4.5★ (167) wp.org #14 ↓1 15 FV Flowplayer Video Player 10K+ · 4.4★ (90) wp.org #12 ↓1 3 too high 16 Ticket Tailor — Event Ticketing & Registration 4K+ · 4.3★ (46) wp.org #16 17 JS Help Desk – AI-Powered Support & Ticketing System 7K+ · 3.7★ (74) wp.org #17 ↓2 18 iPanorama 360 – Advanced Virtual Tour Builder 4K+ · 4.5★ (31) wp.org #21 ↓2 3 too low 19 Amministrazione Aperta 200+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #23 ↓2 4 too low 20 WPDevs Classic Editor & Widgets 20+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #8 ↓2 12 too high 21 PressPrimer Certificate – Certificate Designer & Course Certification for Your LMS 300+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #20 1 too high 22 SkooliPress – School Management System 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #13 ↓1 9 too high 23 Screenly Cast 60+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #22 ↓2 1 too high 24 FV Player 8 1K+ · 4.0★ (2) wp.org #24 ↓1

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.