Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

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

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 “pinning”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 3 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

Instant Breaking News shows at wp.org #6 but places #11 on merit, a gap of 5 places. Its 60+ 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.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Sticky Comment 40+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #1 2 Yatra – Travel Booking & Tour Operator Software 600+ · 4.7★ (23) wp.org #8 6 too low 3 Lazy load videos and sticky control 80+ · 4.2★ (5) wp.org #4 ↑1 1 too low 4 BugHerd 3K+ · 3.5★ (4) wp.org #2 2 too high 5 SwiftSearch for Typesense 10+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #7 ↓3 2 too low 6 Animatikon – Scroll Animations & Motion Effects 40+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #3 3 too high 7 PinnerPress – Customizable Pin Buttons for Pinterest Creators 200+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #5 ↑1 2 too high 8 Poly Pin Manager 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #9 1 too low 9 Scrollzee – Video Scroll 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #10 1 too low 10 Periscope – Custom Dashboard News Widget 30+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #11 1 too low 11 Instant Breaking News 60+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #6 ↑1 5 too high 12 Simple Pin It Button 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #12 13 External Image Importer – Import Remote Images to the Media Library 70+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #13 14 SwiftSearch for Algolia — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #14 15 Miroir Local Sync 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #15 16 Editor UI Tools — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #16 17 Quick-Launch Dashboard Dock – Fast WP Admin Shortcuts & Floating Dashboard Navigation — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 ↓2 18 PinSwitch User Switcher — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #18 ↓1 19 FocusEdit — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #19 20 Crixu Tiltframe — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 ↓2 21 Bit Connect – Community, Discussion Forum, Feedback & Roadmap 30+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 22 PinOnion — Visual Client Feedback — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 ↓3 23 Address Autocomplete for WooCommerce – Gatemi — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 ↓3 24 Persian Office Automation SaaS 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #24 ↓3

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.