Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “press this”

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 “press this”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 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

Press Release Distribution shows at wp.org #8 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 600+ 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

Use Any Font | Custom Font Uploader places #9 on merit, 4.7★ from 1148 reviews, but shows at wp.org #22. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720) wp.org #3 2 too low 2 Press This 5K+ · 3.7★ (25) wp.org #1 1 too high 3 Table Field Add-on for ACF and SCF 50K+ · 4.9★ (60) wp.org #6 ↓1 3 too low 4 PublishPress Permissions: Access Control, Content Permissions, User Access 10K+ · 4.3★ (66) wp.org #5 ↑2 1 too low 5 WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance 1M+ · 4.8★ (2617) wp.org #11 ↑2 6 too low 6 Simple:Press Forum 300+ · 4.2★ (24) wp.org #4 2 too high 7 SiteGround Migrator 80K+ · 4.3★ (403) wp.org #15 ↓1 8 too low 8 Press This Extended 200+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #2 6 too high 9 Use Any Font | Custom Font Uploader 200K+ · 4.7★ (1148) wp.org #22 ↑1 13 too low 10 Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (588) wp.org #21 ↑1 11 too low 11 WP-ShowHide 9K+ · 4.2★ (43) wp.org #9 ↓1 2 too high 12 Fluent Forms – Customizable Contact Forms, Survey, Quiz, & Conversational Form Builder 800K+ · 4.8★ (807) wp.org #20 ↓2 8 too low 13 GDPRess | Eliminate external requests to increase GDPR compliance 1K+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #7 ↓1 6 too high 14 Manga+Press Comic Manager 100+ · 4.4★ (5) wp.org #10 4 too high 15 Hyperlink Group Block 7K+ · 4.3★ (14) wp.org #19 ↑1 4 too low 16 Nooz 500+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #16 ↑1 17 LIQUID SPEECH BALLOON 10K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #17 ↓1 18 Export Themes 2K+ · 4.9★ (13) wp.org #18 ↑1 19 UiPress lite | Effortless custom dashboards, admin themes and pages 6K+ · 4.1★ (21) wp.org #24 5 too low 20 Press Release Distribution 600+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #8 ↑1 12 too high 21 Gravatar Enhanced – Avatars, Profiles, and Privacy 100K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #23 ↑1 2 too low 22 Press Release 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #14 ↑1 8 too high 23 ShopPress – Shop Builder for Elementor and WooCommerce 600+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #13 ↓1 10 too high 24 API Press – External API data, Connect API, Import API 30+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #12 ↓1 12 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.