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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “preloader bundle”

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 “preloader bundle”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 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

VenoBox – Lightweight & Responsive Lightbox Plugin shows at wp.org #6 but places #12 on merit, a gap of 6 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

FOX – Currency Switcher Professional for WooCommerce places #8 on merit, 4.4★ from 250 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 wp.org
1 SiteOrigin Widgets Bundle 400K+ · 4.9★ (134) wp.org #1 2 Ocean Extra 400K+ · 3.3★ (67) wp.org #2 3 xSpeed Cache: AI-Powered Performance Hub with MCP, Caching & CDN 10K+ · 5.0★ (22) wp.org #3 4 The Plus Addons for Elementor – Mega Menu, Header Footer, Post Grid, AI Widgets & Templates 100K+ · 4.6★ (388) wp.org #7 ↑1 3 too low 5 Live Composer – Free WordPress Website Builder 10K+ · 4.4★ (212) wp.org #5 6 Variation Swatches for WooCommerce 300K+ · 4.8★ (926) wp.org #15 ↑3 9 too low 7 BWD Elementor Addons 400+ · 5.0★ (25) wp.org #8 ↓1 1 too low 8 FOX – Currency Switcher Professional for WooCommerce 50K+ · 4.4★ (250) wp.org #21 13 too low 9 Preloader Bundle — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #4 5 too high 10 Premmerce Product Filter for WooCommerce 2K+ · 3.4★ (22) wp.org #24 ↓1 14 too low 11 MotionKit – Visual GSAP Animation Builder for Elementor, Divi, Bricks & More 30+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #10 ↑1 1 too high 12 VenoBox – Lightweight & Responsive Lightbox Plugin 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #6 6 too high 13 ExtenderX – Accessibility Toolbar, Dark Mode & Site Tools 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #11 ↑1 2 too high 14 SuperHertz Cache Preloader — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #9 5 too high 15 R Rado's Native Lightbox 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #12 ↑1 3 too high 16 Caledros Basic Blocks — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #14 2 too high 17 BaseCloud Boost 40+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #13 ↑2 4 too high 18 Everyone Accessibility Suite – Free WCAG Accessibility Widget & Toolkit 80+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #16 2 too high 19 Arashtad 3D Annotation — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 2 too high 20 Arashtad 3D Loader — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #18 ↑1 2 too high 21 DVO Modules and Extensions for Divi — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #19 2 too high 22 Oh My Cache! — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 ↓1 23 Clicks Admin Toolkit — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 ↓1 24 WordSocket — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #20 4 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.