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← Rankings

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

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 “promoter”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 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

iConvert Promoter shows at wp.org #2 but places #11 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 2K+ 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

SureForms – Contact Form Builder, AI Forms, Payment Form, Survey & Quiz places #7 on merit, 4.8★ from 102 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 The Events Calendar 600K+ · 4.2★ (2461) wp.org #1 2 UserFeedback – Create Interactive Feedback Form, User Surveys, and Polls in Seconds 200K+ · 4.8★ (309) wp.org #4 ↑1 2 too low 3 Fluent Forms – Customizable Contact Forms, Survey, Quiz, & Conversational Form Builder 800K+ · 4.8★ (807) wp.org #5 ↓1 2 too low 4 Event Tickets and Registration 90K+ · 3.5★ (236) wp.org #3 1 too high 5 Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423) wp.org #7 ↑1 2 too low 6 Survey Maker by AYS 5K+ · 4.8★ (79) wp.org #8 ↓1 2 too low 7 SureForms – Contact Form Builder, AI Forms, Payment Form, Survey & Quiz 500K+ · 4.8★ (102) wp.org #11 4 too low 8 Display Eventbrite Events 2K+ · 4.9★ (27) wp.org #10 2 too low 9 Spectra Blocks – AI Website Builder for the Block Editor 60K+ · 4.6★ (53) wp.org #13 ↓1 4 too low 10 Republish Old Posts 2K+ · 4.3★ (12) wp.org #6 4 too high 11 iConvert Promoter 2K+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #2 9 too high 12 StoreEngine — Complete eCommerce Solution with Memberships, Licensing, Affiliates & More 700+ · 5.0★ (17) wp.org #19 ↑4 7 too low 13 Crowdsignal Dashboard – Polls, Surveys & more 200K+ · 2.7★ (34) wp.org #9 4 too high 14 Amazon Pay for WooCommerce 10K+ · 2.5★ (27) wp.org #12 ↑1 2 too high 15 The Innovative Form Builder – IvyForms 1K+ · 5.0★ (9) wp.org #24 9 too low 16 Musician’s Pack for Elementor – Music Website Widgets & Templates 400+ · 4.3★ (6) wp.org #20 ↑1 4 too low 17 VPSUForm – Drag & Drop Contact Form Builder with Email Automation 200+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #21 ↓5 4 too low 18 NPS computy 50+ · 4.8★ (5) wp.org #23 ↓3 5 too low 19 Block for Mailchimp – grow your email list with signup forms 2K+ · 3.7★ (3) wp.org #18 ↑1 1 too high 20 WPC Smart Linked Products – Upsells & Cross-sells for WooCommerce 600+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #16 ↑1 4 too high 21 Refersion for WooCommerce 200+ · 3.7★ (3) wp.org #14 7 too high 22 Survey Form Block 400+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #15 7 too high 23 iConvert Email Marketer 1K+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 1 too high 24 Tabby Checkout 4K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #17 ↑1 7 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.