wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “pr samples”

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 “pr samples”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.

Ranked above its merit

Auto-Close Comments, Pingbacks and Trackbacks shows at wp.org #3 but places #7 on merit, a gap of 4 places. Its 200+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

merit plugin signals wp.org

Better Click To Share – Shareable Quote Boxes for X (Twitter) 6K+ · 4.8★ (48) wp.org #2 1 too low 2

Booster for WooCommerce – PDF Invoices, Abandoned Cart, Variation Swatches & 100+ Tools 30K+ · 4.6★ (535) wp.org #4 2 too low 3

MWW Disclaimer Buttons 400+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews wp.org #1 2 too high 4

Print Invoice & Delivery Notes for WooCommerce 30K+ · 4.4★ (140) wp.org #6 2 too low 5

Redux Framework 900K+ · 4.4★ (273) wp.org #7 ↓2 2 too low 6

StoreEngine — Complete eCommerce Solution with Memberships, Licensing, Affiliates & More 700+ · 5.0★ (17) thin reviews wp.org #13 7 too low 7

Auto-Close Comments, Pingbacks and Trackbacks 200+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews wp.org #3 4 too high 8

Branded Social Images – Open Graph Images with logo and extra text layer 800+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews wp.org #11 ↓1 3 too low 9 D DanceMoves — · 0.0★ (0) thin reviewslow rating, top placement wp.org #5 4 too high 10

Scrutoscope – WordPress Performance Profiler 70+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews wp.org #8 ↓1 3 too high 12

GTL Maps — · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews wp.org #9 3 too high 13

Borges Bibliography Builder 10+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews wp.org #10 ↑1 3 too high 14

Zaplane – AI Agent Automation & Workflow Builder — · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews wp.org #12 ↑7 2 too high 15

Mokhai – Agent Readiness Kit — · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews wp.org #14 ↓2 1 too high 16

HandL AI Connector Access Control — · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews wp.org #15 ↓2 1 too high 17

Markdown Renderer for GitHub 50+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews wp.org #16 ↓2 1 too high 18

Ndizi Project Management 10+ · 3.5★ (4) thin reviews wp.org #18 ↓2 19

Variolab – A/B Testing — · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews wp.org #22 ↓1 3 too low 20 F fley Sponsored Posts 20+ · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviews wp.org #21 ↓1 1 too low 21

Patcherly — · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews wp.org #20 ↓2 1 too high 22

Page Rank Stats for Alexa Google 50+ · 5.0★ (1) closure risk thin reviews wp.org #19 ↓2 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.