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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “online radio”

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 “online radio”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 15 of the top 20. 7 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

Radio Browser Stations shows at wp.org #7 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 16 places. Its 10+ 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

Quiz Maker by AYS places #7 on merit, 4.9★ from 601 reviews, but shows at wp.org #20. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2143) wp.org #3 ↑1 2 too low 2 Radio Station by netmix® – Manage and play your Show Schedule in WordPress! 1K+ · 4.6★ (30) wp.org #1 ↑1 1 too high 3 WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More 5M+ · 4.8★ (14387) wp.org #6 ↑2 3 too low 4 Quran Radio 90+ · 5.0★ (13) wp.org #2 ↑1 2 too high 5 MP3 Audio Player – Music Player, Podcast Player & Radio by Sonaar 20K+ · 4.8★ (302) wp.org #5 ↑1 6 Events Manager – Calendar, Bookings, Tickets, Appointments and more! 60K+ · 4.2★ (551) wp.org #10 ↑1 4 too low 7 Quiz Maker by AYS 20K+ · 4.9★ (601) wp.org #20 13 too low 8 Gravity Booster – Styles & Layouts for Gravity Forms 30K+ · 4.6★ (199) wp.org #15 ↑1 7 too low 9 Ninja Forms – Contact Form Builder with Calculators, Quizzes, Signatures & AI Form Builder 500K+ · 4.4★ (1397) wp.org #19 10 too low 10 Search & Filter 40K+ · 4.5★ (175) wp.org #16 ↑2 6 too low 11 ApplyOnline – Application Form Builder and Manager 2K+ · 4.1★ (40) wp.org #8 ↑1 3 too high 12 Cost Calculator Builder 20K+ · 4.5★ (393) wp.org #22 10 too low 13 Calculator Builder – Create an Online Calculator 1K+ · 4.7★ (18) wp.org #9 ↑3 4 too high 14 Product Filter for WooCommerce by WBW 50K+ · 4.8★ (325) wp.org #23 9 too low 15 StreamCast – bring live radio to your site with a sleek player 1K+ · 4.9★ (7) wp.org #4 ↑1 11 too high 16 Fluent Forms – Customizable Contact Forms, Survey, Quiz, & Conversational Form Builder 800K+ · 4.8★ (807) wp.org #24 ↓7 8 too low 17 Food Menu – Restaurant Menu & Online Ordering for WooCommerce 2K+ · 5.0★ (24) wp.org #13 ↑1 4 too high 18 FluentCommunity – Ultra-Fast High-Performance Social Network, Community, LMS & Online Courses 8K+ · 4.8★ (96) wp.org #14 ↑1 4 too high 19 HUSKY – Products Filter for WooCommerce Professional. MCP is onboard 80K+ · 4.6★ (337) wp.org #17 ↑3 2 too high 20 RestroPress – Online Food Ordering System 1K+ · 4.4★ (102) wp.org #12 ↑1 8 too high 21 Qwizcards | online quizzes and flashcards 100+ · 5.0★ (11) wp.org #11 ↓1 10 too high 22 Payment Plugins for PayPal WooCommerce 80K+ · 4.8★ (127) wp.org #21 ↑1 1 too high 23 Radio Browser Stations 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #7 16 too high 24 Formidable Forms Signature Online Contract Automation 200+ · 4.0★ (2) wp.org #18 ↑3 6 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.