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

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 quote”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 of the top 20.

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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.

Ranked above its merit

Solid Post Likes shows at wp.org #7 but places #17 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 500+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.8★ average from 9 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Related Posts Thumbnails places #12 on merit, 4.9★ from 234 reviews, but shows at wp.org #21. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322) wp.org #2 1 too low 2

Request a Quote for WooCommerce – Get a Quote Button 6K+ · 5.0★ (25) wp.org #1 1 too high 3

Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2144) wp.org #4 ↑1 1 too low 4

Calculated Fields Form – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact, Payment, Quote, Quiz & More 40K+ · 4.9★ (973) wp.org #5 ↓1 1 too low 5

MB Custom Post Types & Custom Taxonomies 10K+ · 4.7★ (13) thin reviews wp.org #3 2 too high 6

WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More 5M+ · 4.8★ (14387) wp.org #12 6 too low 7

Revive Social – Social Media Auto Post and Scheduling Automation Plugin 20K+ · 4.0★ (556) wp.org #11 ↓3 4 too low 8

Relevanssi – A Better Search 100K+ · 4.8★ (406) wp.org #15 ↑1 7 too low 9

JSM Show Post Metadata 10K+ · 5.0★ (12) thin reviews wp.org #6 3 too high 10

Quotes llama 1K+ · 4.6★ (30) wp.org #8 ↑1 2 too high 11

Category AJAX Filter – Posts, Custom Post Types & Product Filter 6K+ · 4.9★ (158) wp.org #16 ↓2 5 too low 12

Product Enquiry for WooCommerce 3K+ · 4.5★ (29) wp.org #9 ↑2 4 too high 14

Unlimited Elements for Elementor 300K+ · 4.8★ (525) wp.org #23 ↑1 9 too low 15

Better Click To Share – Shareable Quote Boxes for X (Twitter) 6K+ · 4.8★ (48) wp.org #13 2 too high 16

Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408) wp.org #18 ↓1 2 too low 17

Solid Post Likes 500+ · 4.8★ (9) thin reviews wp.org #7 10 too high 18

Generate Images (AI) – Magic Post Thumbnail 5K+ · 4.3★ (25) wp.org #14 ↑1 4 too high 19

Easy Quotes 700+ · 4.7★ (6) thin reviews wp.org #10 9 too high 20

Quotes and Tips by BestWebSoft 1K+ · 4.5★ (11) thin reviews wp.org #20 ↓1 21

Post Status Notifier Lite 700+ · 3.9★ (17) thin reviews wp.org #24 3 too low 22

Easy Invoice – Invoice Generator, PDF Quotes & Payments 600+ · 4.4★ (7) thin reviews wp.org #22 23

Shipping Live rates for Canada Post for WooCommerce 400+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews wp.org #17 ↑1 6 too high 24

Citatly – Daily Quote 40+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews wp.org #19 ↑1 5 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.