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

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 “pace”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 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

Run Log shows at wp.org #15 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 20+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Kali Forms — Contact Form & Drag-and-Drop Builder places #12 on merit, 4.8★ from 89 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 Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI 10M+ · 4.8★ (27821) wp.org #1 2 BackWPup – WordPress Backup & Restore Plugin 400K+ · 4.0★ (1323) wp.org #2 3 Speed Optimizer – The All-In-One Performance-Boosting Plugin 1M+ · 4.2★ (641) wp.org #3 4 Reviews and Rating – Google Reviews 20K+ · 4.9★ (184) wp.org #4 5 Sequential Order Number for WooCommerce 50K+ · 4.9★ (146) wp.org #6 ↓1 1 too low 6 QuadLayers TikTok Feed 7K+ · 3.9★ (61) wp.org #5 ↑2 1 too high 7 Podcast Player – Your Podcasting Companion 10K+ · 4.8★ (113) wp.org #10 ↓1 3 too low 8 Joli Table Of Contents – Table of Contents with Gutenberg Block & Shortcode 7K+ · 4.9★ (43) wp.org #9 ↑4 1 too low 9 Metorik – Reports & Email Automation for WooCommerce 9K+ · 5.0★ (20) wp.org #8 1 too high 10 AdPlugg WordPress Ad Plugin 400+ · 4.4★ (36) wp.org #13 ↓1 3 too low 11 Send Users Email – Email Subscribers, Email Marketing Newsletter 5K+ · 4.5★ (28) wp.org #12 ↓1 1 too low 12 Kali Forms — Contact Form & Drag-and-Drop Builder 10K+ · 4.8★ (89) wp.org #23 ↓1 11 too low 13 GutSlider – All in One Slider and Carousel Blocks for Gutenberg 6K+ · 4.9★ (14) wp.org #16 3 too low 14 Coming Soon Maintenance Mode 6K+ · 4.7★ (3) wp.org #7 ↓1 7 too high 15 WP Calorie Calculator 900+ · 4.7★ (12) wp.org #20 ↓1 5 too low 16 SKT Addons for Elementor 1K+ · 4.7★ (3) wp.org #11 ↓1 5 too high 17 SiteLock Security – WP Hardening, Login Security & Malware Scans 1K+ · 3.4★ (14) wp.org #21 4 too low 18 Image Ticker Carousel | by Creavi 500+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #14 4 too high 19 Marquee Addons for Elementor – Essential Motion Widgets & Templates 20K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #19 ↑4 20 Custom Product Builder for WooCommerce – Product Designer & Personalizer 300+ · 4.2★ (5) wp.org #18 2 too high 21 Easy Slider 60+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #17 4 too high 22 consentmanager Cookie Banner 5K+ · 2.6★ (10) wp.org #22 ↓2 23 Run Log 20+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #15 8 too high 24 quqii – Social Media Feed Grid 70+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #24

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.