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

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

GEL Proximity | Aggregatore Punti di Ritiro e Locker shows at wp.org #2 but places #7 on merit, a gap of 5 places. Its 10+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

merit plugin wp.org
1 GEO my WP 3K+ · 4.6★ (139) wp.org #1 2 Business Directory Plugin – Easy Listing & Member Directories for WordPress 10K+ · 4.6★ (504) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 GeoDirectory – WP Business Directory Plugin and Classified Listings Directory 10K+ · 4.8★ (716) wp.org #4 1 too low 4 Custom WP Store Locator 300+ · 4.6★ (14) wp.org #5 1 too low 5 Rencontre – Dating Site 200+ · 3.8★ (49) wp.org #6 1 too low 6 Local SEO By Ankit Rawat 40+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #10 4 too low 7 GEL Proximity | Aggregatore Punti di Ritiro e Locker 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #2 5 too high 8 Livebeep – Chatbot, Live Chat, CRM & Digital Marketing 400+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #7 1 too high 9 Scry Search: Meilisearch for WordPress 40+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #11 2 too low 10 Bible SuperSearch 300+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #8 2 too high 11 Local Pickup for WooCommerce 1K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #9 2 too high 12 Data8 Validation 200+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #12 13 Admin Toolbox 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #13 14 Fand Pickup Points : Ultimate Edition for WCFM 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #14 ↑1 15 SFR Directory Map 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #16 ↑1 1 too low 16 9Map – Map Multi Locations 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 ↑1 1 too low 17 Tesserina for WooCommerce — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #18 ↑1 1 too low 18 NV oOS Content Graph 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #19 ↑4 1 too low 19 MessageSpring Omnichannel — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #15 ↑1 4 too high 20 Logical Address Autocomplete for Gravity Forms — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 21 Sidocode Shipping Goal Tracker for WooCommerce — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 22 Robonobo Shipping — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 23 Scout Reimbursement Pro — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 ↑1 24 Dealer/Store Locator – Xtreme Locator — · 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.