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

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 “profanity”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 of the top 20. 3 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

Helpfulcrowd Product Reviews shows at wp.org #9 but places #14 on merit, a gap of 5 places. Its 60+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Better Search – Relevant search results for WordPress 5K+ · 4.4★ (61) wp.org #1 2 CM Search And Replace – Optimize content edits with a powerful search and replace tool 2K+ · 4.2★ (15) wp.org #2 3 FluentCommunity – Ultra-Fast High-Performance Social Network, Community, LMS & Online Courses 8K+ · 4.8★ (96) wp.org #6 ↑1 3 too low 4 Comment Link Remove and Other Comment Tools 8K+ · 4.1★ (15) wp.org #4 5 Wbcom Designs – Private Community for BuddyPress 300+ · 4.9★ (25) wp.org #13 8 too low 6 Dilli Email Validator 100+ · 4.7★ (15) wp.org #10 4 too low 7 Content Censor 600+ · 4.5★ (4) wp.org #3 4 too high 8 WProofreader spell & grammar check plugin for WordPress 4K+ · 3.7★ (15) wp.org #5 3 too high 9 Wbcom Designs – BuddyPress Activity Social Share 400+ · 4.2★ (19) wp.org #15 6 too low 10 Chatroll Live Chat 200+ · 4.0★ (5) wp.org #8 2 too high 11 SEO Pyramid 40+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #7 ↓1 4 too high 12 Product Reviews & Photo Reviews for WooCommerce – Yuko 100+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #12 13 Moderation API: Automated Content Moderation 10+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #11 2 too high 14 Helpfulcrowd Product Reviews 60+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #9 5 too high 15 Wbcom Designs – BuddyPress Job Manager 100+ · 3.8★ (5) wp.org #18 3 too low 16 Eligibility Checklist for AdSense 50+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #14 2 too high 17 LobbyChat 30+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #16 ↑1 1 too high 18 DiscusHub — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #19 1 too low 19 WebMate AI Assistant — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 1 too low 20 Auto Figure Jin — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 1 too low 21 Intercessor 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #17 ↓1 4 too high 22 StoreSage – AI Chatbot for WooCommerce, Product Recommendations & FAQ — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 23 SafeComments — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 24 Mega Backing — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #24

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.