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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “print friendly”

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 “print friendly”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 15 of the top 20. 4 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.

W

Ranked above its merit

WP Print Friendly shows at wp.org #2 but places #17 on merit, a gap of 15 places. Its 500+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.5★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

wpDataTables – WordPress Data Table, Dynamic Tables & Table Charts Plugin places #8 on merit, 4.5★ from 449 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 WP Statistics – Simple, privacy-friendly Google Analytics alternative 500K+ · 4.1★ (759) wp.org #1 2 Print My Blog – Print, PDF, & eBook Converter WordPress Plugin 8K+ · 4.8★ (115) wp.org #3 ↓1 1 too low 3 Envira Gallery – Image Photo Gallery, Albums, Video Gallery, Slideshows & More 100K+ · 4.7★ (1596) wp.org #9 ↓2 6 too low 4 Photo Gallery, Sliders, Proofing and Themes – NextGEN Gallery 300K+ · 4.3★ (4342) wp.org #7 ↓1 3 too low 5 PDF & Print by BestWebSoft – WordPress Posts and Pages PDF Generator Plugin 9K+ · 3.9★ (102) wp.org #4 ↓1 1 too high 6 Print, PDF & Email by PrintFriendly 20K+ · 3.8★ (237) wp.org #5 ↓1 1 too high 7 WP Recipe Maker 50K+ · 5.0★ (356) wp.org #11 ↓1 4 too low 8 wpDataTables – WordPress Data Table, Dynamic Tables & Table Charts Plugin 60K+ · 4.5★ (449) wp.org #21 ↓1 13 too low 9 Print Page Block – make any page printable in one click 1K+ · 4.9★ (7) wp.org #6 ↓1 3 too high 10 Favorites 10K+ · 4.6★ (133) wp.org #20 ↓2 10 too low 11 Social Share Icons & Social Share Buttons 10K+ · 4.9★ (1911) wp.org #23 ↓1 12 too low 12 Machete 6K+ · 5.0★ (52) wp.org #19 7 too low 13 Variation Swatches for WooCommerce – Color, Image & Size Swatches 200K+ · 4.6★ (51) wp.org #18 ↓1 5 too low 14 Real3D Flipbook – 3D Flipbook, PDF Flipbook, PDF Viewer, PDF Embedder 10K+ · 4.5★ (11) wp.org #10 ↑1 4 too high 15 WP Console – WordPress PHP Console powered by PsySH 20K+ · 5.0★ (21) wp.org #17 ↓1 2 too low 16 Float menu – awesome floating side menu 30K+ · 4.4★ (41) wp.org #24 ↓1 8 too low 17 W WP Print Friendly 500+ · 3.5★ (2) wp.org #2 ↓1 15 too high 18 3D Print Pricing Calculator 50+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #8 ↑1 10 too high 19 mPDF add-on for RTL and Unicode Support 4K+ · 5.0★ (16) wp.org #22 ↓1 3 too low 20 PDF viewer for Elementor & Gutenberg 10K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #13 7 too high 21 Printcart Store – Web to Print Product Designer for WooCommerce 60+ · 4.1★ (12) wp.org #16 ↓2 5 too high 22 eBook Crafter – Convert Posts to PDF eBooks, Ready to Print 100+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #14 ↓1 8 too high 23 فاکتورک (Faktorak) 500+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #15 8 too high 24 Print PDF Generator and Publisher 40+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #12 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.