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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “preprocessor”

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 “preprocessor”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 of the top 17. 2 plugins are 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

Tessera for the Abilities API shows at wp.org #5 but places #9 on merit, a gap of 4 places. Its — installs carry it up the search order; its 0.0★ average from 0 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

WebinarIgnition – AI & MCP Webinar Builder: Live, Automated & Evergreen Webinars also for WooCommerce places #5 on merit, 4.5★ from 51 reviews, but shows at wp.org #9. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Kali Forms — Contact Form & Drag-and-Drop Builder 10K+ · 4.8★ (89) wp.org #3 2 too low 2 Simple Custom CSS and JS 600K+ · 4.4★ (103) wp.org #4 2 too low 3 Easy Custom Code (LESS/CSS/JS) – Live editing 100+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #1 2 too high 4 BotBlocker Security – Complete security platform 3K+ · 5.0★ (10) wp.org #2 2 too high 5 WebinarIgnition – AI & MCP Webinar Builder: Live, Automated & Evergreen Webinars also for WooCommerce 80+ · 4.5★ (51) wp.org #9 4 too low 6 Preserve Code Formatting 400+ · 4.7★ (3) wp.org #8 2 too low 7 B Bootstrap Admin 10+ · 4.5★ (14) wp.org #17 ↓1 10 too low 8 Email Deliverability – SMTP Replacement, Email API Deliverability & Email Log 200K+ · 2.3★ (16) wp.org #6 2 too high 9 Tessera for the Abilities API — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #5 4 too high 10 Y YUJI AI SEO Suite — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #7 3 too high 11 T Tuxedo CSS Editor 70+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #15 ↓1 4 too low 12 L Less PHP Compiler 3K+ · 4.5★ (4) wp.org #14 ↓1 2 too low 13 T Table of Contents Creator 300+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #16 ↓1 3 too low 14 SahlDesk — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #10 4 too high 15 Spellmatic — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #11 4 too high 16 QuickStock for WooCommerce — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #12 4 too high 17 Harvify Redirect Manager — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #13 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.