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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “pdf 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 “pdf list”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 7 of the top 20. 6 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

Icon List Block – Add Icon-Based Lists with Custom Styles shows at wp.org #10 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 4K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.7★ average from 6 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

3D FlipBook – PDF Embedder, PDF Flipbook Viewer, Flipbook Image Gallery places #11 on merit, 4.8★ from 182 reviews, but shows at wp.org #21. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 PDF Invoices & Packing Slips for WooCommerce 300K+ · 5.0★ (1865) wp.org #1 2 PDF Embedder – PDF Viewer & Embed PDF Files for WordPress 300K+ · 4.7★ (529) wp.org #2 3 DearFlip – PDF Flipbook, 3D Flipbook, PDF embed, PDF viewer 200K+ · 4.9★ (194) wp.org #3 4 PDF Ink Lite – Free PDF Watermark & Password Protection 2K+ · 4.6★ (51) wp.org #4 5 PDF Poster – Let visitors read PDF’s without leaving the page 20K+ · 4.5★ (149) wp.org #5 6 Product Customer List for WooCommerce 9K+ · 4.9★ (75) wp.org #8 2 too low 7 B BSK PDF Manager 7K+ · 4.5★ (46) wp.org #6 ↑1 1 too high 8 PDF Builder for WooCommerce. Create invoices,packing slips and more 2K+ · 4.7★ (145) wp.org #14 6 too low 9 WebToffee WooCommerce PDF Invoices, Packing Slips, Delivery Notes & Shipping Labels 50K+ · 4.9★ (285) wp.org #13 4 too low 10 DK PDF – WordPress PDF Generator 3K+ · 4.5★ (44) wp.org #11 1 too low 11 3D FlipBook – PDF Embedder, PDF Flipbook Viewer, Flipbook Image Gallery 70K+ · 4.8★ (182) wp.org #21 10 too low 12 Real3D Flipbook – 3D Flipbook, PDF Flipbook, PDF Viewer, PDF Embedder 10K+ · 4.5★ (11) wp.org #7 ↓1 5 too high 13 Generate PDF using Contact Form 7 4K+ · 4.7★ (40) wp.org #16 3 too low 14 PDF Generator for WordPress 1K+ · 4.6★ (39) wp.org #12 2 too high 15 PDF Invoices & Packing Slips for WooCommerce – Challan 7K+ · 4.6★ (47) wp.org #15 16 PDF Forms Filler for CF7 3K+ · 4.8★ (13) wp.org #9 7 too high 17 12 Step Meeting List 900+ · 5.0★ (28) wp.org #24 7 too low 18 PDF Catalog for WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.3★ (26) wp.org #17 1 too high 19 Icon List Block – Add Icon-Based Lists with Custom Styles 4K+ · 3.7★ (6) wp.org #10 9 too high 20 Flipbook PDF Viewer & Embedder 300+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #19 1 too high 21 PDF Invoices Italian Add-on for WooCommerce 4K+ · 4.6★ (16) wp.org #20 1 too high 22 Flipa PDF Flipbook – PDF Viewer and Page Flip Book 800+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #18 4 too high 23 PDF for Elementor Forms + Drag And Drop Template Builder 1K+ · 3.9★ (11) wp.org #23 ↑1 24 PDF for WPForms + Drag and Drop Template Builder 1K+ · 4.5★ (6) wp.org #22 2 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.