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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “phone theme”

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 “phone theme”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 of the top 20. 5 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

Browser Theme Color – Address Bar Color & Dark Mode shows at wp.org #5 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 17 places. Its 2K+ 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

Anti-Spam, Spam FireWall by CleanTalk places #11 on merit, 4.8★ from 3221 reviews, but shows at wp.org #22. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Photo Gallery, Sliders, Proofing and Themes – NextGEN Gallery 300K+ · 4.3★ (4342) wp.org #1 2 Phone Orders for WooCommerce 1K+ · 5.0★ (32) wp.org #2 3 Email Encoder – Protect Email Addresses and Phone Numbers 90K+ · 4.9★ (94) wp.org #3 4 Easy Google Maps by Supsystic – Custom Markers, Clustering & Map Themes 20K+ · 4.6★ (251) wp.org #6 2 too low 5 AI Engine – MCP Server & AI Chatbot for WordPress, with Claude, ChatGPT & Gemini 90K+ · 4.9★ (874) wp.org #9 4 too low 6 OTP Login With Phone Number, OTP Verification 1K+ · 4.9★ (81) wp.org #4 2 too high 7 Pods – Custom Content Types and Fields 100K+ · 4.8★ (418) wp.org #11 ↓1 4 too low 8 Floating Chat Widget: Contact Chat Icons, Telegram Chat, Line Messenger, WeChat, Email, SMS, Call Button – Chaty 300K+ · 5.0★ (1244) wp.org #14 6 too low 9 Modula Image Gallery – Photo Grid & Video Gallery 100K+ · 4.7★ (616) wp.org #16 7 too low 10 Under Construction 600K+ · 4.8★ (1285) wp.org #17 7 too low 11 Anti-Spam, Spam FireWall by CleanTalk 200K+ · 4.8★ (3221) wp.org #22 ↑1 11 too low 12 Simple Business Directory – AI Powered 300+ · 4.9★ (62) wp.org #12 13 Ultimate Member – User Profile, Registration, Login, Member Directory, Content Restriction & Membership Plugin 200K+ · 4.4★ (1445) wp.org #24 11 too low 14 Ultra Addons for Contact Form 7 60K+ · 4.8★ (107) wp.org #20 6 too low 15 Events Manager – Calendar, Bookings, Tickets, Appointments and more! 60K+ · 4.2★ (551) wp.org #21 ↓2 6 too low 16 Joinchat – Enhanced “click to chat” 700K+ · 4.7★ (189) wp.org #23 ↓1 7 too low 17 Darkify – Dark Mode & Night Mode for Website & Admin (Dark Theme Included) 1K+ · 4.7★ (27) wp.org #15 2 too high 18 F4 Shipping Phone and E-Mail for WooCommerce 700+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #7 11 too high 19 Campos Checkout Brasileiro para WooCommerce 5K+ · 4.9★ (45) wp.org #18 1 too high 20 Shop as Client for WooCommerce – Manual, Phone & Email Orders 500+ · 5.0★ (9) wp.org #10 ↑1 10 too high 21 M Multi Device Switcher 10K+ · 4.3★ (11) wp.org #19 ↑2 2 too high 22 Browser Theme Color – Address Bar Color & Dark Mode 2K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #5 17 too high 23 Softech Country Phone Validator 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #8 15 too high 24 Lead Generation Contact Widget & AI Chatbot: Chat Button, Phone Call, Telegram, Email – SiteLeads 10K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #13 11 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.