Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

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

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 “podcaster”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 of the top 20. 4 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

Captivate Sync shows at wp.org #9 but places #15 on merit, a gap of 6 places. Its 1K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.2★ average from 10 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Music Player for Elementor – Audio Player & Podcast Player places #7 on merit, 4.7★ from 123 reviews, but shows at wp.org #13. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 PrettyLinks – Affiliate Link Management, URL Shortener, Link Cloaking, Tracking & Branded Short Links 200K+ · 4.8★ (1322) wp.org #3 2 too low 2 Podcast Player – Your Podcasting Companion 10K+ · 4.8★ (113) wp.org #2 3 Anchor Episodes Index (Spotify for Podcasters) 1K+ · 4.8★ (5) wp.org #1 2 too high 4 PowerPress Podcasting plugin by Blubrry 20K+ · 4.6★ (231) wp.org #4 5 MP3 Audio Player – Music Player, Podcast Player & Radio by Sonaar 20K+ · 4.8★ (302) wp.org #6 ↑1 1 too low 6 All-in-One Video Gallery – Video Player & Galleries for YouTube, Vimeo & Self-Hosted Videos 20K+ · 4.8★ (136) wp.org #10 4 too low 7 Music Player for Elementor – Audio Player & Podcast Player 10K+ · 4.7★ (123) wp.org #13 6 too low 8 Podcast Importer SecondLine 4K+ · 4.8★ (13) wp.org #5 3 too high 9 Automatic YouTube Gallery – Embed Auto-Updating YouTube Video Galleries, Feeds, Playlists & Channels 9K+ · 4.8★ (31) wp.org #11 ↑1 2 too low 10 Podlove Podcast Publisher 3K+ · 4.3★ (45) wp.org #8 2 too high 11 Podlove Web Player 4K+ · 3.7★ (14) wp.org #7 ↓1 4 too high 12 Superb Addons: Blocks, Patterns, Pre-built Pages, Sliders, Popups, Free Forms, Animations & More 80K+ · 4.9★ (23) wp.org #18 ↓1 6 too low 13 Podcast Subscribe Buttons 4K+ · 5.0★ (11) wp.org #12 ↓1 1 too high 14 Radio Station by netmix® – Manage and play your Show Schedule in WordPress! 1K+ · 4.6★ (30) wp.org #22 ↓1 8 too low 15 Captivate Sync 1K+ · 3.2★ (10) wp.org #9 6 too high 16 Auto YouTube Importer 1K+ · 3.7★ (7) wp.org #14 2 too high 17 Jock On Air Now (JOAN) 400+ · 3.8★ (9) wp.org #17 ↓2 18 Auto podcast import 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #15 ↑1 3 too high 19 Soundmento 20+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #19 20 Podigee for WordPress: Podcast Episodes to Blog Posts 600+ · 3.5★ (2) wp.org #16 4 too high 21 Player for SoundCloud – share your music without leaving your site 1K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #20 1 too high 22 Voice Feedback – Audio Feedback Form, Voice Recorder & Voice Testimonials 50+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #21 1 too high 23 Selfhost Podcasting – Create Podcasts Easily 40+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #24 1 too low 24 Audio Editor & Recorder 100+ · 3.0★ (2) wp.org #23 ↓1 1 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.