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← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “origin filter”

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 “origin filter”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 of the top 20. 4 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

Origin Filter for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #4 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 15 places. Its 100+ 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

Real Cookie Banner: GDPR & ePrivacy Cookie Consent places #12 on merit, 4.9★ from 492 reviews, but shows at wp.org #23. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) wp.org #1 2 Widgets for Google Reviews 1M+ · 4.9★ (2667) wp.org #2 3 WP Super Cache 1M+ · 4.3★ (1346) wp.org #6 3 too low 4 annasta Filters for WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.8★ (44) wp.org #3 1 too high 5 Hide My WP Ghost – Security & Firewall 100K+ · 4.5★ (373) wp.org #11 6 too low 6 Unlimited Elements for Elementor 300K+ · 4.8★ (525) wp.org #14 8 too low 7 FAZ Cookie Manager 3K+ · 5.0★ (30) wp.org #7 8 Headers Security Advanced & HSTS WP 90K+ · 4.8★ (80) wp.org #10 2 too low 9 Use Any Font | Custom Font Uploader 200K+ · 4.7★ (1148) wp.org #19 10 too low 10 WP Hide & Security Enhancer 50K+ · 4.3★ (275) wp.org #9 1 too high 11 WooCommerce Stripe Payment Gateway 700K+ · 3.1★ (237) wp.org #5 6 too high 12 Real Cookie Banner: GDPR & ePrivacy Cookie Consent 100K+ · 4.9★ (492) wp.org #23 11 too low 13 Mapster WP Maps 3K+ · 4.9★ (54) wp.org #16 3 too low 14 Widgets for Airbnb Reviews 6K+ · 4.6★ (60) wp.org #18 4 too low 15 WP Tripadvisor Review Widgets 20K+ · 4.1★ (116) wp.org #24 9 too low 16 Staatic – Static Site Generator for WordPress 3K+ · 4.4★ (21) wp.org #13 3 too high 17 C Custom Post Type Widgets 10K+ · 4.8★ (14) wp.org #15 2 too high 18 JWT Authentication for WP REST API 60K+ · 4.4★ (53) wp.org #21 3 too low 19 Origin Filter for WooCommerce 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #4 15 too high 20 WC – APG Weight Shipping 6K+ · 4.3★ (49) wp.org #17 3 too high 21 Autopost for X (formerly Autoshare for Twitter) 5K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #12 9 too high 22 Search Insights – Privacy-Friendly Search Analytics 3K+ · 4.9★ (29) wp.org #22 23 WP Anti-Clickjack 3K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #8 15 too high 24 Stape Conversion Tracking 10K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #20 4 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.