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

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 “outline”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 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

Outline to Mind Map shows at wp.org #9 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 14 places. Its 30+ installs carry it up the search order; its 0.0★ average from 0 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Portfolio Filter Gallery – Photo Gallery places #11 on merit, 4.8★ from 348 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 Editor Block Outline 1K+ · 4.9★ (23) wp.org #1 2 Masteriyo LMS – LMS Course Builder, Quizzes & Certificates 6K+ · 4.8★ (184) wp.org #2 ↑2 3 WP Accessibility 60K+ · 4.8★ (68) wp.org #3 ↑4 4 GetGenie – AI SEO Assistant & Content Writer with Keyword Research, AEO & GEO 70K+ · 4.8★ (119) wp.org #5 1 too low 5 Brizy – Page Builder 60K+ · 4.7★ (972) wp.org #8 ↑2 3 too low 6 WP-Members Membership Plugin 50K+ · 4.6★ (272) wp.org #7 ↑9 1 too low 7 Gantry 5 Framework 7K+ · 4.6★ (34) wp.org #6 1 too high 8 Tutor LMS – eLearning and online course solution 100K+ · 4.4★ (590) wp.org #15 ↓4 7 too low 9 Responsive Menu – Mobile Menu & Hamburger Menu Builder 70K+ · 4.5★ (576) wp.org #17 8 too low 10 Bordered Blocks – Add subtle borders or outlines and labels to Blocks in the Editor 200+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #4 ↓2 6 too high 11 Portfolio Filter Gallery – Photo Gallery 20K+ · 4.8★ (348) wp.org #24 ↓1 13 too low 12 SEO WRITING – AI Writer for SEO & AI Search 20K+ · 4.9★ (120) wp.org #22 ↓1 10 too low 13 Fuse Social Icons 10K+ · 4.6★ (58) wp.org #20 7 too low 14 SureRank SEO – Meta Tags, Social Preview, XML Sitemap, Schema & Open Graph 300K+ · 4.8★ (51) wp.org #21 ↑1 7 too low 15 Share Buttons & AI-powered Summaries 1K+ · 5.0★ (16) wp.org #14 1 too high 16 Royal MCP – Secure AI Connector for Claude, ChatGPT & any LLM via MCP 10K+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #12 ↓9 4 too high 17 Snow Monkey Blocks 30K+ · 4.4★ (7) wp.org #11 ↑1 6 too high 18 Pagination Styler for WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.9★ (16) wp.org #23 5 too low 19 Audio Player Block – Advanced Block for Embedding Audio Files 2K+ · 5.0★ (10) wp.org #18 1 too high 20 Timeline Module for Divi 3K+ · 4.8★ (9) wp.org #16 ↑1 4 too high 21 Topic SEO Content Optimization Tool 1K+ · 4.0★ (4) wp.org #10 ↓1 11 too high 22 Mox Icons – Icon Pack for Elementor 1K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #13 9 too high 23 Outline to Mind Map 30+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #9 ↓1 14 too high 24 Combine Social Photos | Still BE 700+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #19 ↓4 5 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.