Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “rating shortcode”

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 “rating shortcode”, 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

Elo Rating Shortcode shows at wp.org #7 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 16 places. Its 40+ 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

Customer Reviews for WooCommerce places #7 on merit, 4.8★ from 1539 reviews, but shows at wp.org #16. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Reviews and Rating – Google Reviews 20K+ · 4.9★ (184) wp.org #1 2 Widgets for Google Reviews 1M+ · 4.9★ (2667) wp.org #3 ↑5 1 too low 3 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) wp.org #4 1 too low 4 Rich Showcase for Google Reviews 100K+ · 4.9★ (1623) wp.org #12 8 too low 5 Rate My Post – Star Rating Plugin by FeedbackWP 20K+ · 4.7★ (159) wp.org #5 ↑1 6 The Events Calendar Shortcode & Block 10K+ · 4.7★ (101) wp.org #9 3 too low 7 Customer Reviews for WooCommerce 80K+ · 4.8★ (1539) wp.org #16 ↓1 9 too low 8 WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More 5M+ · 4.8★ (14387) wp.org #17 ↑2 9 too low 9 GD Rating System 1K+ · 4.3★ (24) wp.org #6 ↓3 3 too high 10 kk Star Ratings – Rate Post & Collect User Feedbacks 70K+ · 3.9★ (171) wp.org #11 1 too low 11 Stars Rating 1K+ · 4.7★ (23) wp.org #8 ↓1 3 too high 12 The Post Grid – Shortcode, Gutenberg Blocks and Elementor Addon for Post Grid 100K+ · 4.8★ (265) wp.org #19 7 too low 13 Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132) wp.org #18 ↑2 5 too low 14 Ninja Forms – Contact Form Builder with Calculators, Quizzes, Signatures & AI Form Builder 500K+ · 4.4★ (1397) wp.org #20 ↓2 6 too low 15 Five-Star Ratings Shortcode 500+ · 4.2★ (5) wp.org #2 13 too high 16 Like Button Rating ♥ LikeBtn 3K+ · 4.4★ (273) wp.org #15 ↓1 1 too high 17 Stars Testimonials — Responsive Reviews & Star Ratings 1K+ · 4.8★ (65) wp.org #22 ↑1 5 too low 18 Events Shortcodes For The Events Calendar 10K+ · 4.9★ (214) wp.org #24 ↓7 6 too low 19 Editorial Rating – Product Review & Rating System 200+ · 4.4★ (13) wp.org #10 9 too high 20 Widgets for Google Reviews and Ratings 3K+ · 4.2★ (10) wp.org #14 ↑2 6 too high 21 MachForm Shortcode 300+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #13 8 too high 22 E EWZ-Rating 50+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #21 ↑3 1 too high 23 Elo Rating Shortcode 40+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #7 ↓2 16 too high 24 Star Rating Field For Contact Form 7 800+ · 2.3★ (3) wp.org #23 ↓1 1 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.