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

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 “polyglots”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 of the top 20. 2 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

WPeMatico Custom Hooks shows at wp.org #12 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 50+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Document Viewer – let visitors view files right in the browser places #7 on merit, 4.7★ from 52 reviews, but shows at wp.org #11. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 BuddyPress 90K+ · 4.1★ (375) wp.org #1 2 Ninja Forms – Contact Form Builder with Calculators, Quizzes, Signatures & AI Form Builder 500K+ · 4.4★ (1397) wp.org #2 3 Gwolle Guestbook 20K+ · 4.8★ (113) wp.org #5 ↓1 2 too low 4 GSpeech TTS – WordPress Text To Speech Plugin 3K+ · 4.8★ (178) wp.org #7 3 too low 5 WPeMatico RSS Feed Fetcher 10K+ · 4.8★ (514) wp.org #8 3 too low 6 La Sentinelle antispam 3K+ · 5.0★ (21) wp.org #6 7 Document Viewer – let visitors view files right in the browser 2K+ · 4.7★ (52) wp.org #11 4 too low 8 Super Simple Event Calendar 600+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #4 ↑1 4 too high 9 WP Document Revisions 2K+ · 3.7★ (23) wp.org #10 1 too low 10 Disable Flamingo Addressbook 4K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #3 7 too high 11 Chessgame Shizzle 100+ · 4.7★ (3) wp.org #9 2 too high 12 Amathia: Accessible Dropdown Menus 30+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #14 2 too low 13 Polyglot Translate Connector — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #15 2 too low 14 Polyglot for Polylang — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #16 2 too low 15 Loginpetze 80+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #13 2 too high 16 S Superdav AI Language Packs 50+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #19 3 too low 17 PiedWeb AI Polyglot — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 3 too low 18 Email Users on Update of Download for Easy Digital Downloads 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 3 too low 19 Turbo Guard – Security & Malware Scanner 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 4 too low 20 Maestro: The Inline Admin Menu Editor 30+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #18 2 too high 21 User Admin Purchases Column for Easy Digital Downloads — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #24 ↓1 3 too low 22 Voice Feedback – Audio Feedback Form, Voice Recorder & Voice Testimonials 50+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #17 5 too high 23 Contributor Résumé and Insights 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #22 1 too high 24 WPeMatico Custom Hooks 50+ · 3.0★ (2) wp.org #12 12 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.