Plugin Pulse
← Rankings

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

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 “recruiter”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 6 of the top 20. 2 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

HM Resume Manager shows at wp.org #10 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 100+ 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 Job Postings 10K+ · 4.4★ (58) wp.org #1 2 Simple Job Board 10K+ · 4.7★ (133) wp.org #2 3 Timetics – Appointment Booking Calendar & Scheduling 2K+ · 4.6★ (36) wp.org #7 4 too low 4 Job Manager & Career – Manage job board listings, and recruitments 1K+ · 4.7★ (7) wp.org #3 1 too high 5 WC Affiliate – WooCommerce Affiliate Plugin 300+ · 4.6★ (16) wp.org #9 4 too low 6 Recruitly 40+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #4 2 too high 7 Rixden Career Manager 10+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #6 1 too high 8 Cliptakes 40+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #5 3 too high 9 Job Manager by JobScore 10+ · 4.7★ (3) wp.org #12 3 too low 10 Ninja Job Board – Ultimate WordPress Job Board Plugin 100+ · 4.8★ (6) wp.org #21 11 too low 11 Jobs Portal – Job & Career Manager 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #8 3 too high 12 CMAA Recruit — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #11 1 too high 13 Rezicraft – Professional Resume & CV Builder — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #13 14 Matador Jobs Lite 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #14 15 Workeera – AI Job Board with Applicant Tracking System (ATS) — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #15 16 AGB Web Designs Student Project Portfolio — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #16 17 Knights of Columbus – State — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 ↑1 18 Pipe Audio Video and Screen Recorder 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #18 ↓1 19 tells — Text Analysis Widget — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #19 20 HM Resume Manager 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #10 10 too high 21 Debut Jobs — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 1 too high 22 Gender Decoder — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 23 CVShout Resume 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 24 WP Staffing Customizer for WP Job Manager 10+ · 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.