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

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 “onsite”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 of the top 20. 5 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

SimplyBook.me – Booking and reservations calendar shows at wp.org #6 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 18 places. Its 30K+ 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

iubenda | All-in-one Compliance for GDPR / CCPA Cookie Consent + more places #4 on merit, 4.7★ from 397 reviews, but shows at wp.org #14. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Popup Builder & Popup Maker for WordPress – OptinMonster Email Marketing and Lead Generation 1M+ · 4.3★ (821) wp.org #1 2 Pixel Manager for WooCommerce – Conversion Tracking, Google Ads, GA4, TikTok, Dynamic Remarketing 40K+ · 4.9★ (399) wp.org #9 ↑1 7 too low 3 Product Tabs for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.7★ (69) wp.org #5 2 too low 4 iubenda | All-in-one Compliance for GDPR / CCPA Cookie Consent + more 200K+ · 4.7★ (397) wp.org #14 ↑1 10 too low 5 Advanced Responsive Video Embedder for Rumble, Odysee, YouTube, Vimeo, Kick … 20K+ · 4.2★ (169) wp.org #12 7 too low 6 Display Eventbrite Events 2K+ · 4.9★ (27) wp.org #8 2 too low 7 AI ChatBot for WooCommerce – WoowBot 1K+ · 4.8★ (19) wp.org #7 ↓1 8 WPBot – AI ChatBot for Live Support, Lead Generation, WordPress Automation, AI Services 5K+ · 4.7★ (124) wp.org #10 ↓1 2 too low 9 Drip – Marketing Automation for WooCommerce 1K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #3 ↑1 6 too high 10 AI App Onsite 10+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #2 8 too high 11 FireBox – WooCommerce Popup Builder, Exit Intent Popup, Email Optin & Cart Abandonment 6K+ · 4.8★ (76) wp.org #20 9 too low 12 Foyer – Digital Signage for WordPress 1K+ · 4.9★ (27) wp.org #15 ↓1 3 too low 13 O Onsite Optimizer Installer 200+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #4 ↓1 9 too high 14 Wisepops Popups & Notifications 400+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #21 7 too low 15 Evenium 20+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #23 8 too low 16 Tilopay 2K+ · 4.3★ (4) wp.org #13 3 too high 17 Onsite Messaging by PushAlert – Exit Intent Popups, Email Optins, Discount Overlays 30+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #11 6 too high 18 Pushnews 100+ · 4.2★ (5) wp.org #24 6 too low 19 Onsite Spam Guard 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 2 too high 20 Helpfulcrowd Product Reviews 60+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #19 1 too high 21 Newor Media 300+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #16 5 too high 22 AnyTrack Affiliate Link Manager 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #18 4 too high 23 SnapScan Payment Gateway 700+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #22 1 too high 24 SimplyBook.me – Booking and reservations calendar 30K+ · 1.0★ (1) wp.org #6 ↑1 18 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.