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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “recently edited”

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 “recently edited”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 of the top 20.

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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.

Ranked above its merit

Phynite Analytics shows at wp.org #9 but places #14 on merit, a gap of 5 places. Its 30+ 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

Comet Cache places #8 on merit, 4.4★ from 108 reviews, but shows at wp.org #14. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 CMS Tree Page View – Reorder Pages with a Drag-and-Drop Tree 50K+ · 4.9★ (365) wp.org #2 1 too low 2 Assistant – Every Day Productivity Apps 4K+ · 4.9★ (15) wp.org #1 1 too high 3 Cloudflare 200K+ · 3.5★ (181) wp.org #3 4 Helpie FAQ — Accordion, Docs & Knowledge Base 8K+ · 4.5★ (80) wp.org #4 5 Block Animations, Motion & Scroll Effects – Ghost Kit 6K+ · 4.6★ (46) wp.org #5 6 WP Event Manager – Events Calendar, Registrations, Sell Tickets with WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.0★ (249) wp.org #8 2 too low 7 FireBox – WooCommerce Popup Builder, Exit Intent Popup, Email Optin & Cart Abandonment 6K+ · 4.8★ (76) wp.org #10 ↑1 3 too low 8 Comet Cache 20K+ · 4.4★ (108) wp.org #14 6 too low 9 Predictive Search for WooCommerce 700+ · 3.2★ (49) wp.org #6 3 too high 10 HTML Template for CF7 1K+ · 4.7★ (3) wp.org #7 ↓2 3 too high 11 Structure Viewer – AI Context Builder, Code Search & MCP Tools 10+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #16 5 too low 12 FileDeck – Document Library, Download Manager & Client Portal 100+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #22 10 too low 13 ABCode Cache Warmer 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #12 ↑1 1 too high 14 Phynite Analytics 30+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #9 5 too high 15 Q QuickPick — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #13 ↓1 2 too high 16 Registration Email Blocker 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #11 ↓1 5 too high 17 IGW Admin Cleanup — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 ↓1 18 Masonique Grid — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #18 ↓1 19 DateSweep – Bulk Update Post & Page Dates 40+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #15 4 too high 20 LIOSFERA Schema Diagnostics — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 1 too low 21 Plain Access Check — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 ↓5 2 too low 22 NoteFlow – Notes, Checklists & Team Collaboration 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #24 ↓3 2 too low 23 M ManpreetDev Mail Designer for Contact Form 7 — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #19 4 too high 24 Pair – Product Recommendations for WooCommerce — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #20 4 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.