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

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 system”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 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

Editorial Rating – Product Review & Rating System shows at wp.org #5 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 200+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.4★ average from 13 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin places #6 on merit, 4.8★ from 8706 reviews, but shows at wp.org #12. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 GD Rating System 1K+ · 4.3★ (24) wp.org #1 2 Reviews and Rating – Google Reviews 20K+ · 4.9★ (184) wp.org #2 3 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) wp.org #4 ↑1 1 too low 4 Rate My Post – Star Rating Plugin by FeedbackWP 20K+ · 4.7★ (159) wp.org #3 1 too high 5 Widgets for Google Reviews 1M+ · 4.9★ (2667) wp.org #6 ↑1 1 too low 6 UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8706) wp.org #12 ↓1 6 too low 7 WP-PostRatings 20K+ · 4.4★ (178) wp.org #8 ↓2 1 too low 8 SupportCandy – AI Customer Support Ticket System & Live Chatbot Agent 10K+ · 4.9★ (289) wp.org #14 ↑8 6 too low 9 Salon Booking System – Appointment Booking for Salons, Barbershops & Spas 2K+ · 4.4★ (187) wp.org #7 2 too high 10 Tutor LMS – eLearning and online course solution 100K+ · 4.4★ (590) wp.org #13 ↓5 3 too low 11 W WP Photo Album Plus 10K+ · 4.7★ (199) wp.org #9 ↑1 2 too high 12 MasterStudy LMS WordPress Plugin – for Online Courses and Education 10K+ · 4.5★ (487) wp.org #16 ↓3 4 too low 13 YASR – Yet Another Star Rating Plugin for WordPress 10K+ · 4.7★ (323) wp.org #19 ↓2 6 too low 14 Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132) wp.org #18 ↓3 4 too low 15 Ninja Forms – Contact Form Builder with Calculators, Quizzes, Signatures & AI Form Builder 500K+ · 4.4★ (1397) wp.org #21 6 too low 16 Comments – wpDiscuz 60K+ · 4.7★ (581) wp.org #17 ↓5 1 too low 17 Stars Rating 1K+ · 4.7★ (23) wp.org #11 ↓2 6 too high 18 Editorial Rating – Product Review & Rating System 200+ · 4.4★ (13) wp.org #5 ↓1 13 too high 19 Wallet System for WooCommerce – Digital Wallet, Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL), Instant Cashback, Referral program, Partial & Subscription Payments 1K+ · 4.9★ (65) wp.org #15 ↑3 4 too high 20 Like Button Rating ♥ LikeBtn 3K+ · 4.4★ (273) wp.org #20 ↓4 21 Educare – Students & Result Management System 600+ · 4.6★ (24) wp.org #22 ↓3 1 too low 22 Comments Ratings 2K+ · 4.2★ (5) wp.org #10 12 too high 23 The School Management – Education & Learning ERP 700+ · 4.5★ (15) wp.org #24 1 too low 24 Star Rating Field For Contact Form 7 800+ · 2.3★ (3) wp.org #23 ↓2 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.