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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “post compiler”

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 “post compiler”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 15 of the top 20. 1 plugin is 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

Viraly – Blog to Social Media Auto Post, Scheduler & Analytics shows at wp.org #6 but places #16 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 70+ 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

Loco Translate places #9 on merit, 4.8★ from 453 reviews, but shows at wp.org #24. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Post and Page Builder by BoldGrid – Visual Drag and Drop Editor 50K+ · 4.7★ (140) wp.org #2 1 too low 2 Redux Framework 900K+ · 4.4★ (273) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 WP Go Maps – Google Map, OpenStreetMap, Leaflet Map 300K+ · 4.8★ (3055) wp.org #11 8 too low 4 a3 Lazy Load 80K+ · 4.3★ (148) wp.org #10 6 too low 5 Kali Forms — Contact Form & Drag-and-Drop Builder 10K+ · 4.8★ (89) wp.org #7 2 too low 6 Crossword Compiler Puzzles 200+ · 2.8★ (5) wp.org #1 5 too high 7 Everest Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form, Quiz, Survey & Custom Form Builder with AI 90K+ · 4.9★ (375) wp.org #21 ↑1 14 too low 8 Page View Count 10K+ · 4.0★ (55) wp.org #8 9 Loco Translate 1M+ · 4.8★ (453) wp.org #24 ↓1 15 too low 10 Schema Package – Structured Data & Rich Snippets Tool for SEO 200+ · 4.8★ (20) wp.org #13 3 too low 11 Layout Recompiler for Brizy 200+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #5 6 too high 12 CodeKit – Custom Codes Editor 7K+ · 4.8★ (16) wp.org #16 4 too low 13 Winden — Tailwind CSS Compiler with Full WordPress Integration 10+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #4 9 too high 14 Predictive Search for WooCommerce 700+ · 3.2★ (49) wp.org #20 ↓1 6 too low 15 LandTech Extras for Elementor 80+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #9 6 too high 16 Viraly – Blog to Social Media Auto Post, Scheduler & Analytics 70+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #6 10 too high 17 a3 Portfolio 100+ · 3.0★ (12) wp.org #19 ↑1 2 too low 18 WP Designer – Professional WordPress Design & Customization Tool 60+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #15 3 too high 19 Feedspace Review Widgets 80+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #12 7 too high 20 Shrikant Social Post Builder — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #14 6 too high 21 Pay4All TWINT – For WooCommerce & Pay4All Shop 80+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 4 too high 22 Pay4All Age Verification – For WooCommerce & Pay4All Shop 70+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #18 4 too high 23 Simple Custom Code – Custom CSS, JS, and HTML, Visual CSS Customizer 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 ↑1 24 Survey Form Block 400+ · 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.