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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “projects list”

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 “projects list”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 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

Portfolio Block – The Ultimate Project & Portfolio Builder shows at wp.org #12 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 800+ 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.

Buried gem

Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder places #8 on merit, 4.8★ from 2144 reviews, but shows at wp.org #14. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Pods – Custom Content Types and Fields 100K+ · 4.8★ (418) wp.org #1 2 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) wp.org #5 3 too low 3 Project Showcase – Responsive Portfolio, Case Studies & Filterable Grid Layouts 200+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #2 1 too high 4 Zephyr Project Manager 1K+ · 4.8★ (98) wp.org #7 3 too low 5 Project Manager – AI Powered Project Management, Task Management, Kanban Board & Time Tracker 5K+ · 3.8★ (187) wp.org #6 1 too low 6 JS Categories List Widget 1K+ · 4.8★ (15) wp.org #4 2 too high 7 Dashboard To-Do List 1K+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #3 4 too high 8 Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2144) wp.org #14 6 too low 9 Post Types Order 600K+ · 4.5★ (296) wp.org #9 10 WPCode – Insert Headers and Footers + Custom Code Snippets – WordPress Code Manager 3M+ · 4.9★ (1916) wp.org #16 6 too low 11 Authors List 5K+ · 5.0★ (22) wp.org #8 3 too high 12 Author Avatars List/Block 4K+ · 4.8★ (32) wp.org #10 2 too high 13 MailPoet – Newsletters, Email Marketing, and Automation 500K+ · 4.4★ (1435) wp.org #17 4 too low 14 Premium Addons for Elementor – AI-Ready Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates 600K+ · 4.9★ (1680) wp.org #24 10 too low 15 FluentBoards – Project Management, Task Management, Goal Tracking, Kanban Board, and, Team Collaboration 6K+ · 5.0★ (25) wp.org #13 2 too high 16 Yoast Duplicate Post 3M+ · 4.7★ (538) wp.org #15 1 too high 17 Download List Block with Icons 400+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #11 6 too high 18 UpStream: a Project Management Plugin for WordPress 500+ · 4.2★ (74) wp.org #21 3 too low 19 Mailchimp List Subscribe Form 60K+ · 2.6★ (77) wp.org #18 1 too high 20 Taskbuilder – Project Management & Task Management Tool With Kanban Board 700+ · 4.7★ (7) wp.org #20 21 Show Pages URL List 1K+ · 4.4★ (8) wp.org #19 2 too high 22 WP-CRM System – Manage Clients and Projects 700+ · 3.9★ (15) wp.org #23 1 too low 23 Projectopia – Project Management Tool 200+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #22 1 too high 24 Portfolio Block – The Ultimate Project & Portfolio Builder 800+ · 5.0★ (2) 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.