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

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

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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.

merit plugin signals wp.org

MPG – Multiple Page Generator, Bulk Landing Pages & Programmatic SEO 2K+ · 3.9★ (27) wp.org #1 2

Funnelforms Free – Multi Step Form, Contact Form & Lead Funnel Builder 1K+ · 4.8★ (32) wp.org #3 1 too low 3

Ray Enterprise Translation 7K+ · 2.6★ (48) low rating, top placement wp.org #2 1 too high 4

PageForge – AI Programmatic SEO, Bulk Page Generator, SEO MCP & Local SEO 70+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews wp.org #4 5

SaasPricing – Advanced Pricing & Comparison Tables for Elementor 300+ · 3.7★ (6) thin reviews wp.org #6 1 too low 6

BundleBoss – Product Bundles, Mix and Match & Build a Box for WooCommerce 80+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews wp.org #8 2 too low 7 N Novex Demo Importer 70+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviewslow rating, top placement wp.org #5 2 too high 8

AISA — AI SEO & GEO Assistant with MCP: Alt Text for Accessibility (WCAG), Meta, Schema, Brand Voice — Your Own API Keys 50+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews wp.org #11 3 too low 9

Local Business Schema Widget 20+ · 4.0★ (1) thin reviews wp.org #7 2 too high 10

ChannelRelay – AI Chatbot & Lead Capture for HVAC, Plumbing & Roofing — · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews wp.org #9 1 too high 11

Yuhi — Smarter Content Controls 50+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews wp.org #10 1 too high 12

GetSEOAgent — AI Bulk SEO Chat 90+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews wp.org #12 13

Strakture 80+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews wp.org #13 14

Form & Phone Lead Tracker for Local Service Businesses – Lead Ledger — · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews wp.org #14 15

Choice Universal Form Tracker for Google Tag Manager 20+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews wp.org #15 16

Bidquill — AI Estimate Chatbot — · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews wp.org #16 17

ScopeQuote Cost Calculator — · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews wp.org #17 18

RowSprout – Bulk Page Generator & Programmatic SEO — · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews wp.org #18 19

SiteStaffr: AI Receptionist with Free AI Chat for WordPress — · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews wp.org #19 20

WebWerk Service Quote — · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews wp.org #20 21

Grandview Rank & Rent Builder — · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews wp.org #22 1 too low 22

Quotelatic – Quote Request Forms — · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews wp.org #23 1 too low 23 S Smart Forms by Livable Forms — · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews wp.org #24 1 too low 24

BotObservatory – Live Bot Tracker & Anti-Scraper — · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews wp.org #21 3 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.