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

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 “pandemic”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 7 of the top 20. 9 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

WP COVID-19 Schema shows at wp.org #15 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 4 places. Its 10+ 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.

merit plugin signals wp.org

GiveWP – Donation Plugin and Fundraising Platform 100K+ · 4.6★ (708) throws errorsnot PHP-currentheavy footprint wp.org #1 2

Embeds for YouTube 9K+ · 4.2★ (24) thin reviewsstale but ranked wp.org #7 5 too low 3

ACS Points Plugin 300+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews wp.org #2 1 too high 4

TemplateSpare – 1000+ WordPress Starter Templates & Full Site Migration Tool | 1-Click Import/Export & No-Code Builder 10K+ · 4.3★ (6) throws errorsnot PHP-currentheavy footprint thin reviews wp.org #3 1 too high 5

VirusWeather Covid-19 Coronavirus 30+ · 4.9★ (8) closure risk thin reviewsstale but ranked wp.org #9 ↑1 4 too low 6

Coronavirus Spread Prediction Tools Free Version 10+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviewsstale but ranked wp.org #4 2 too high 7

Genius Firewall — · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviewsstale but ranked wp.org #6 1 too high 8

Tip My Work – HostJane Payments — · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews wp.org #5 3 too high 9

WP COVID-19 DATA 10+ · 5.0★ (2) closure risk thin reviews wp.org #14 5 too low 10

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Symptom Checker by Symptoma 20+ · 4.0★ (1) closure risk thin reviewsstale but ranked wp.org #8 2 too high 11

QSynced — · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviewsstale but ranked wp.org #10 ↓1 1 too high 12

Corona Meter India 10+ · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviews wp.org #11 1 too high 13

Pronto – Mobile Site Convertor 80+ · 3.7★ (3) not PHP-currentclosure risk thin reviews wp.org #12 1 too high 14

IoPlus Contact Tracing Solution 10+ · 5.0★ (1) closure risk thin reviews wp.org #13 2 too high 16

Covid-19 Live Stats Lite 10+ · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviews wp.org #18 2 too low 17

Business Listing Plugin — · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviews wp.org #20 3 too low 18

Stay Home, Stay Safe Notice 10+ · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviews wp.org #19 1 too low 19

WP COVID-19 Schema 10+ · 0.0★ (0) throws errorsnot PHP-currentclosure risk thin reviews wp.org #15 4 too high 20

Javagee One Heal One Earth Plugin — · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviews wp.org #21 1 too low 21

Emergency Alerts 10+ · 0.0★ (0) throws errorsnot PHP-currentclosure risk thin reviews wp.org #17 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.