Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “ordered list”

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 “ordered list”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 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

Nested Ordered Lists for Block Editor shows at wp.org #2 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 18 places. Its 100+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.7★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

SimpleTOC – Table of Contents Block places #11 on merit, 4.9★ from 77 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 List categories 5K+ · 4.5★ (15) wp.org #1 2 VS Event List 8K+ · 4.9★ (82) wp.org #3 ↓1 1 too low 3 W4 Post List 3K+ · 4.7★ (94) wp.org #5 2 too low 4 L List all URLs 4K+ · 4.7★ (19) wp.org #4 5 Easy Footnotes 8K+ · 4.8★ (33) wp.org #9 4 too low 6 Plugins List 700+ · 5.0★ (12) wp.org #7 1 too low 7 Glossary 2K+ · 4.7★ (84) wp.org #17 ↓2 10 too low 8 WP Datepicker 6K+ · 4.8★ (37) wp.org #15 7 too low 9 Ditty – Responsive News Tickers, Sliders, and Lists 30K+ · 4.6★ (106) wp.org #13 ↑1 4 too low 10 Nested Ordered Lists 700+ · 4.5★ (8) wp.org #6 4 too high 11 SimpleTOC – Table of Contents Block 10K+ · 4.9★ (77) wp.org #24 13 too low 12 HTML Page Sitemap (Block and Shortcode) 10K+ · 4.4★ (24) wp.org #14 ↓1 2 too low 13 WP Header Images 4K+ · 4.4★ (35) wp.org #19 6 too low 14 Team List 100+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #10 4 too high 15 Snow Monkey Editor 30K+ · 4.0★ (5) wp.org #8 7 too high 16 Logos Reftagger 10K+ · 4.8★ (15) wp.org #21 ↓2 5 too low 17 WP Last Login 10K+ · 3.8★ (26) wp.org #22 ↓2 5 too low 18 Item Lists for Elementor 1K+ · 4.2★ (5) wp.org #11 7 too high 19 Draft List 40+ · 4.6★ (5) wp.org #12 7 too high 20 Nested Ordered Lists for Block Editor 100+ · 3.7★ (3) wp.org #2 ↑1 18 too high 21 Entryway – WP Login & Logout Redirect 6K+ · 4.8★ (5) wp.org #20 ↓2 1 too high 22 Super List Block 700+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #23 ↓2 1 too low 23 CM Curated List Manager – Effortless tool for link management 70+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #18 ↓1 5 too high 24 Puddinq order list 30+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #16 8 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.