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

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 plugin”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 14 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

Extend Link shows at wp.org #14 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 1K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

FiboSearch – Ajax Search for WooCommerce places #6 on merit, 4.9★ from 1815 reviews, but shows at wp.org #18. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Preloader 10K+ · 4.1★ (41) wp.org #1 2 Safelayout Cute Preloader – CSS3 WordPress Preloader 10K+ · 5.0★ (84) wp.org #2 3 Super Page Cache – Cloudflare Cache, Page Speed & Core Web Vitals 70K+ · 4.8★ (517) wp.org #9 ↑2 6 too low 4 Video Popup – Video Lightbox for YouTube, Vimeo & MP4 10K+ · 4.5★ (43) wp.org #7 3 too low 5 LoftLoader 70K+ · 4.5★ (33) wp.org #8 ↑1 3 too low 6 FiboSearch – Ajax Search for WooCommerce 100K+ · 4.9★ (1815) wp.org #18 ↑3 12 too low 7 YMC Filter 4K+ · 4.8★ (34) wp.org #11 ↓3 4 too low 8 BH Custom CSS3 Preloader – Just play and play 700+ · 3.8★ (6) wp.org #3 5 too high 9 DWL Preloader 300+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #4 5 too high 10 Quiz Cat – WordPress Quiz Plugin 4K+ · 4.7★ (35) wp.org #15 ↑2 5 too low 11 Super Preloader for Cloudflare 100+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #5 6 too high 12 Ocean Extra 400K+ · 3.3★ (67) wp.org #12 13 Motors – Car Dealership & Classified Listings Plugin 9K+ · 4.5★ (79) wp.org #22 9 too low 14 WP Preloader 100+ · 4.0★ (4) wp.org #6 8 too high 15 WP Smart Preloader 5K+ · 4.4★ (25) wp.org #16 1 too low 16 Groovy Menu Plugin (Free) 4K+ · 3.6★ (25) wp.org #19 ↑4 3 too low 17 Archive Page 700+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #10 7 too high 18 Page Animations And Transitions 1K+ · 2.8★ (32) wp.org #20 2 too low 19 Contact Form Plugin 2K+ · 2.8★ (17) wp.org #17 ↑1 2 too high 20 Custom Preloader 100+ · 4.5★ (2) wp.org #23 ↓1 3 too low 21 VenoBox – Lightweight & Responsive Lightbox Plugin 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #13 ↑1 8 too high 22 Advanced Preloader 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 ↑3 1 too high 23 Asset Preloader: preload the assets only on the pages where you need it 50+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #24 1 too low 24 Extend Link 1K+ · 3.0★ (2) wp.org #14 ↑1 10 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.