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← Rankings

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

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 “progression”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 of the top 20. 5 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

Livid – Video Hosting shows at wp.org #8 but places #14 on merit, a gap of 6 places. Its 300+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Cool Timeline (Horizontal & Vertical Timeline) places #5 on merit, 4.7★ from 333 reviews, but shows at wp.org #11. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Presto Player 100K+ · 4.8★ (346) wp.org #2 ↑1 1 too low 2 Points Management System For Gamification, Ranks, Badges, and Loyalty Rewards Program – myCred 10K+ · 4.6★ (472) wp.org #6 ↓4 4 too low 3 ExactMetrics – Google Analytics Dashboard for WordPress (Website Stats Plugin) 200K+ · 2.5★ (1546) wp.org #3 ↑1 4 Qi Addons For Elementor 200K+ · 4.8★ (205) wp.org #9 ↓1 5 too low 5 Cool Timeline (Horizontal & Vertical Timeline) 20K+ · 4.7★ (333) wp.org #11 6 too low 6 Topic Progression Using Storyline/Captivate for LearnDash 400+ · 4.0★ (4) wp.org #1 5 too high 7 PowerPack for LearnDash 1K+ · 4.8★ (5) wp.org #4 ↑1 3 too high 8 WPComplete 1K+ · 4.1★ (43) wp.org #10 2 too low 9 Exclusive Addons for Elementor 50K+ · 4.7★ (47) wp.org #19 10 too low 10 Guild Raid Progression for WoW and Raider IO 10+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #5 ↑1 5 too high 11 Qi Blocks 60K+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #7 4 too high 12 Timeline Module for Divi 3K+ · 4.8★ (9) wp.org #12 13 Graphina – Charts and Graphs For Elementor 9K+ · 4.1★ (16) wp.org #15 2 too low 14 Livid – Video Hosting 300+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #8 ↑1 6 too high 15 Simple Tournament Brackets 300+ · 4.1★ (8) wp.org #13 2 too high 16 Magical Addons For Elementor ( Theme Builder, Header Footer Builder, Free Elementor Widgets, Elementor Templates Library ) 4K+ · 4.7★ (12) wp.org #21 5 too low 17 Simple Points and Rewards for WooCommerce – Create a Loyalty Program 400+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #14 3 too high 18 Simple Ebook Viewer 400+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #23 5 too low 19 Any Block Carousel Slider 200+ · 4.6★ (5) wp.org #17 2 too high 20 Timeline – Tell Your Story Through Events and Milestones 2K+ · 4.3★ (6) wp.org #16 4 too high 21 Anbarak Inventory Management & Profit Reports for WooCommerce 50+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #24 3 too low 22 WEBFUL Analytics 50+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #22 23 Fluid Font Forge 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #20 3 too high 24 PilotPress 900+ · 2.2★ (5) wp.org #18 6 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.