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

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 “possibly”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 of the top 20. 3 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

Ignore Or Disable Plugin Update shows at wp.org #8 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 200+ 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.

Buried gem

CWILL (Formerly ParcelPanel) – Shipment Tracking, Tracking & Order Tracking for WooCommerce places #6 on merit, 4.9★ from 538 reviews, but shows at wp.org #14. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Mail logging & Catcher 20K+ · 4.9★ (108) wp.org #2 1 too low 2 Product Gallery Slider, Additional Variation Images for WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.6★ (160) wp.org #3 ↑4 1 too low 3 SQLite Object Cache 10K+ · 5.0★ (51) wp.org #4 ↓1 1 too low 4 HD Quiz 6K+ · 4.9★ (145) wp.org #6 2 too low 5 LifterLMS Labs 2K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #1 4 too high 6 CWILL (Formerly ParcelPanel) – Shipment Tracking, Tracking & Order Tracking for WooCommerce 7K+ · 4.9★ (538) wp.org #14 8 too low 7 LifterLMS – WP LMS for eLearning, Online Courses, & Quizzes 10K+ · 4.8★ (393) wp.org #15 ↑1 8 too low 8 WP Fail2Ban Redux 7K+ · 5.0★ (15) wp.org #9 1 too low 9 Simple Page Sidebars 20K+ · 4.9★ (54) wp.org #17 ↑1 8 too low 10 Custom Layouts – Post + Product grids made easy 3K+ · 5.0★ (25) wp.org #13 ↓1 3 too low 11 Smart Search & Product Filter for WooCommerce – Searchanise 900+ · 4.4★ (43) wp.org #10 1 too high 12 Variation Swatches for WooCommerce 8K+ · 4.9★ (86) wp.org #16 ↑1 4 too low 13 Grids: Layout builder for WordPress 2K+ · 5.0★ (21) wp.org #18 ↑1 5 too low 14 Micropub 200+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #5 ↓1 9 too high 15 WPC AJAX Search for WooCommerce 1K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #7 ↓2 8 too high 16 Composite Products – Conditional Images 200+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #11 ↑2 5 too high 17 WP Forms Signature Contract Add-On 800+ · 4.4★ (5) wp.org #23 ↑1 6 too low 18 Ignore Or Disable Plugin Update 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #8 10 too high 19 EU AI Act Ready 100+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #20 1 too low 20 Shrinkwell Image Optimizer 20+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #12 ↓1 8 too high 21 Disclaimer Popup 1K+ · 3.8★ (5) wp.org #21 22 WordPass 30+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #24 2 too low 23 Simplistic page navi 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #19 ↑3 4 too high 24 C Custom Captcha Field for Fluent Forms 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #22 ↑1 2 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.