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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “open indication”

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

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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.

Ranked above its merit

Open Accessibility shows at wp.org #1 but places #7 on merit, a gap of 6 places. Its 50+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Cookie Compliance for WordPress – Cookie Consent, GDPR & CCPA places #6 on merit, 4.8★ from 3026 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 Business Hours Indicator 7K+ · 4.9★ (60) wp.org #2 1 too low 2 WP Crontrol 300K+ · 4.4★ (167) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 Nested Pages 90K+ · 4.7★ (126) wp.org #4 ↓1 1 too low 4 Folders – Unlimited Folders to Organize Media Library Folder, Pages, Posts, File Manager 90K+ · 5.0★ (1526) wp.org #9 5 too low 5 WP Ultimate CSV Importer – WordPress CSV, XML & Excel Import Export 20K+ · 4.4★ (593) wp.org #10 ↓2 5 too low 6 Cookie Compliance for WordPress – Cookie Consent, GDPR & CCPA 800K+ · 4.8★ (3026) wp.org #14 ↑1 8 too low 7 Open Accessibility 50+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #1 6 too high 8 Download Manager 90K+ · 4.1★ (1006) wp.org #15 ↓1 7 too low 9 Outdated Plugin Notifier 400+ · 5.0★ (9) wp.org #5 ↓1 4 too high 10 Bulk Edit Posts and Products in Spreadsheet 7K+ · 4.8★ (217) wp.org #18 ↓2 8 too low 11 Campi Moduli Italiani 400+ · 4.7★ (6) wp.org #7 ↑6 4 too high 12 SamedayCourier Shipping 4K+ · 2.7★ (14) wp.org #6 ↓1 6 too high 13 Multicons 2K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #8 ↓2 5 too high 14 Ultimate WooCommerce Filters 500+ · 3.7★ (14) wp.org #12 ↓2 2 too high 15 Customize External Links and add Icon 200+ · 3.7★ (6) wp.org #19 ↓1 4 too low 16 Show Environment in Admin Bar 100+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #22 ↓2 6 too low 17 Dashboard: Available Disk Space 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #11 ↓4 6 too high 18 IndexMeNow 2K+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #16 ↑1 2 too high 19 OTYS Plugin 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #13 ↓1 6 too high 20 OpenSheetMusicDisplay 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 1 too low 21 Payment Gateway for PhonePe and for Woocommerce 800+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #17 4 too high 22 TransparAI: EU AI Act Compliance, AI Disclosure & AI Image Detection 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 1 too low 23 Appointment Booking Calendar & Scheduling – Zoe Booking 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #20 ↓1 3 too high 24 onOffice for WP-Websites 800+ · 2.0★ (4) wp.org #24 ↓3

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.