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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “php variables”

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 “php variables”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 of the top 20. 1 plugin is 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

IP2Location Variables shows at wp.org #11 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 100+ installs carry it up the search order; its 2.3★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) places #10 on merit, 4.9★ from 8869 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 Woody Code Snippets – Insert PHP, CSS, JS, and Header/Footer Scripts 50K+ · 4.5★ (221) wp.org #1 2 Custom Global Variables 5K+ · 5.0★ (10) wp.org #2 3 WPCode – Insert Headers and Footers + Custom Code Snippets – WordPress Code Manager 3M+ · 4.9★ (1916) wp.org #8 5 too low 4 GTM4WP – A Google Tag Manager (GTM) plugin for WordPress 700K+ · 4.5★ (155) wp.org #5 1 too low 5 Product Feed PRO for WooCommerce by AdTribes – Product Feeds for WooCommerce 80K+ · 4.7★ (1071) wp.org #10 5 too low 6 Native PHP Sessions 10K+ · 4.9★ (16) wp.org #4 2 too high 7 Snippet Shortcodes 3K+ · 4.7★ (25) wp.org #7 8 Variable Inspector 100+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #3 5 too high 9 Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2144) wp.org #20 11 too low 10 Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) 3M+ · 4.9★ (8869) wp.org #22 12 too low 11 Custom PHP Settings 10K+ · 4.4★ (15) wp.org #6 5 too high 12 WP Console – WordPress PHP Console powered by PsySH 20K+ · 5.0★ (21) wp.org #9 3 too high 13 All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720) wp.org #19 6 too low 14 WP Super Cache 1M+ · 4.3★ (1346) wp.org #17 3 too low 15 WP-Polls 40K+ · 4.2★ (136) wp.org #15 16 Advanced Product Fields (Product Addons) for WooCommerce 50K+ · 4.8★ (284) wp.org #24 8 too low 17 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322) wp.org #21 4 too low 18 Really Simple CAPTCHA 300K+ · 4.2★ (131) wp.org #18 19 Debug Log Manager – Conveniently Monitor and Inspect Errors 10K+ · 5.0★ (25) wp.org #16 3 too high 20 NinjaFirewall (WP Edition) – Advanced Security Plugin and Firewall 100K+ · 4.9★ (220) wp.org #23 3 too low 21 Attribute Stock for WooCommerce – Shared Stock & Variable Quantities (Lite Version) 2K+ · 4.6★ (18) wp.org #13 8 too high 22 Export Variable Products 400+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #12 10 too high 23 Abdiel Global Variables 70+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #14 9 too high 24 IP2Location Variables 100+ · 2.3★ (3) wp.org #11 13 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.