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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “private label”

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 “private label”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 of the top 20. 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

Selfnamed: Private Label Cosmetics for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #8 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 15 places. Its 300+ 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

MainWP Dashboard: Self-hosted WordPress Management for Agencies places #7 on merit, 4.9★ from 2354 reviews, but shows at wp.org #17. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 My Private Site – Make Your Whole Site Private, Force Login & Block Registration Spam 10K+ · 4.5★ (82) wp.org #1 2 Better Messages – Chat Rooms, Group Chat, Private Messages & AI Chat Bots 10K+ · 4.8★ (142) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 User Private Files – Secure File Sharing and Client Portal Plugin 1K+ · 4.4★ (57) wp.org #2 1 too high 4 User Profile Builder – Beautiful User Registration Forms, User Profiles & User Role Editor 40K+ · 4.7★ (738) wp.org #7 3 too low 5 Anti-Spam, Spam FireWall by CleanTalk 200K+ · 4.8★ (3221) wp.org #10 5 too low 6 WPCode – Insert Headers and Footers + Custom Code Snippets – WordPress Code Manager 3M+ · 4.9★ (1916) wp.org #13 7 too low 7 MainWP Dashboard: Self-hosted WordPress Management for Agencies 20K+ · 4.9★ (2354) wp.org #17 10 too low 8 Independent Analytics – WordPress Analytics Plugin 100K+ · 4.8★ (167) wp.org #14 6 too low 9 Events Manager – Calendar, Bookings, Tickets, Appointments and more! 60K+ · 4.2★ (551) wp.org #12 3 too low 10 Masteriyo LMS – LMS Course Builder, Quizzes & Certificates 6K+ · 4.8★ (184) wp.org #9 1 too high 11 Product Badge, Label, Countdown Timer for WooCommerce – Sale Booster 5K+ · 4.8★ (30) wp.org #6 5 too high 12 Barcode Generator: Print Product Labels & Order Barcode Label (A4, Thermal/Roll, Letter) 900+ · 4.5★ (74) wp.org #11 1 too high 13 Strong Testimonials 80K+ · 4.8★ (614) wp.org #23 10 too low 14 Password Protected 300K+ · 4.4★ (142) wp.org #16 2 too low 15 ProfileGrid – User Profiles, Groups and Communities 5K+ · 4.6★ (236) wp.org #20 5 too low 16 Wholesale Suite – B2B, Dynamic Pricing & WooCommerce Wholesale Prices 20K+ · 4.8★ (546) wp.org #24 8 too low 17 Blanka private label beauty & skincare products app for WooCommerce 100+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #4 13 too high 18 Wbcom Designs – Private Community for BuddyPress 300+ · 4.9★ (25) wp.org #19 1 too low 19 Customize Private & Protected: Password Form & Prefix 400+ · 4.7★ (3) wp.org #5 14 too high 20 EU Withdrawal and Legal Guarantee Compliance 1K+ · 5.0★ (17) wp.org #18 2 too high 21 Variation Swatches for WooCommerce 50K+ · 3.7★ (59) wp.org #21 22 Protect Uploads 30K+ · 4.8★ (12) wp.org #22 23 Selfnamed: Private Label Cosmetics for WooCommerce 300+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #8 15 too high 24 Confirm Plus Contact Form 7 7K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #15 9 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.