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← Rankings

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

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 “popularity”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 of the top 20. 6 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

WPC Badge Management for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #9 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 2K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.5★ average from 8 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

wpDataTables – WordPress Data Table, Dynamic Tables & Table Charts Plugin places #9 on merit, 4.5★ from 449 reviews, but shows at wp.org #17. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 WP Popular Posts 100K+ · 4.5★ (249) wp.org #1 2 Product Filter for WooCommerce by WBW 50K+ · 4.8★ (325) wp.org #2 ↑2 3 Quiz Maker by AYS 20K+ · 4.9★ (601) wp.org #5 ↑13 2 too low 4 Estatik Real Estate Plugin 10K+ · 4.6★ (187) wp.org #4 ↓1 5 Social Slider Feed – Social Media Feed & Gallery Widgets 10K+ · 3.9★ (127) wp.org #3 ↑2 2 too high 6 Spotlight Social Photo Feed 60K+ · 4.7★ (171) wp.org #6 ↑1 7 All-in-One Video Gallery – Video Player & Galleries for YouTube, Vimeo & Self-Hosted Videos 20K+ · 4.8★ (136) wp.org #7 ↑1 8 The Post Grid – Shortcode, Gutenberg Blocks and Elementor Addon for Post Grid 100K+ · 4.8★ (265) wp.org #11 ↑1 3 too low 9 wpDataTables – WordPress Data Table, Dynamic Tables & Table Charts Plugin 60K+ · 4.5★ (449) wp.org #17 ↑2 8 too low 10 Goaffpro Affiliate Marketing 4K+ · 4.8★ (44) wp.org #13 3 too low 11 Product Bundle Builder for WooCommerce 6K+ · 4.8★ (61) wp.org #10 ↑1 1 too high 12 WP Tripadvisor Review Widgets 20K+ · 4.1★ (116) wp.org #19 ↓3 7 too low 13 Donation Platform for WooCommerce: Fundraising & Donation Management 7K+ · 4.9★ (99) wp.org #22 9 too low 14 OnSale Page for WooCommerce 2K+ · 4.5★ (26) wp.org #8 ↓2 6 too high 15 Related Products – Create Upsells, Cross-sells, and Product Recommendations for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.6★ (82) wp.org #20 5 too low 16 Variations as Single Product – Display Single Variation for WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.8★ (17) wp.org #12 ↓2 4 too high 17 YITH WooCommerce Ajax Product Filter 70K+ · 3.5★ (98) wp.org #16 ↑4 1 too high 18 Feeds for TikTok (TikTok feed, video, and gallery plugin) 70K+ · 4.3★ (11) wp.org #14 4 too high 19 Super Testimonial – Testimonial & Customer Review Slider Plugin for WordPress 2K+ · 4.7★ (26) wp.org #23 4 too low 20 WPC Badge Management for WooCommerce 2K+ · 4.5★ (8) wp.org #9 11 too high 21 Nudgify Social Proof 500+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #15 6 too high 22 Total Sales Counts for WooCommerce 700+ · 4.8★ (11) wp.org #18 ↓1 4 too high 23 S SC Simple Zazzle 50+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #24 ↓2 1 too low 24 M MCM Random Baby Name Generator 60+ · 5.0★ (2) 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.