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

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 “punch”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 14 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

Golf Scores shows at wp.org #9 but places #17 on merit, a gap of 8 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.

Buried gem

Wishlist for WooCommerce: Multiple Wishlists per Customer places #7 on merit, 4.9★ from 53 reviews, but shows at wp.org #23. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720) wp.org #1 2 WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance 1M+ · 4.8★ (2617) wp.org #2 3 Dynamic Time 200+ · 4.7★ (21) wp.org #4 1 too low 4 LiteSpeed Cache 7M+ · 4.8★ (2778) wp.org #14 10 too low 5 All in One Time Clock Lite – Tracking Employee Time Has Never Been Easier 500+ · 4.6★ (8) wp.org #3 2 too high 6 Events Manager – Calendar, Bookings, Tickets, Appointments and more! 60K+ · 4.2★ (551) wp.org #19 13 too low 7 Wishlist for WooCommerce: Multiple Wishlists per Customer 2K+ · 4.9★ (53) wp.org #23 ↓1 16 too low 8 Pixel Gallery Addons for Elementor 4K+ · 4.8★ (5) wp.org #7 1 too high 9 Zoho SalesIQ – Live chat, chatbots, and visitor tracking 10K+ · 4.1★ (7) wp.org #6 3 too high 10 Stock Ticker 2K+ · 4.4★ (21) wp.org #24 ↓1 14 too low 11 Feedify – Web Push Notifications 90+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #8 3 too high 12 Product Widget Slider for WooCommerce 200+ · 2.2★ (6) wp.org #5 7 too high 13 Signature field for Elementor Forms 2K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #18 5 too low 14 Bracket Post Order 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #10 4 too high 15 MyAuthorityIQ 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #11 4 too high 16 Ndizi Project Management 10+ · 3.5★ (4) wp.org #12 ↑1 4 too high 17 Golf Scores 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #9 8 too high 18 CoffeeWP Media Cleanup – Scan and Remove Unused Media and Orphan Thumbnails — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #13 ↓1 5 too high 19 Tap Top 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #15 4 too high 20 Yeekit – Signature Field for Gravity Forms — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #16 4 too high 21 Loyalty Points and Rewards Plugin for WordPress – Pointics 40+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 4 too high 22 Tourtify – Tour & Activity Booking — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 2 too high 23 PaintClarity — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 ↓1 2 too high 24 StoreCashier – POS, Inventory & Business Suite for WooCommerce — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 ↓1 2 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.