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

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 “relationship”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 of the top 20. 6 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

Repeaters & Relationships Connector with ACF for Elementor shows at wp.org #4 but places #14 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 900+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 7 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Admin Columns places #3 on merit, 4.9★ from 1652 reviews, but shows at wp.org #8. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Pods – Custom Content Types and Fields 100K+ · 4.8★ (418) wp.org #1 2 bbPress 100K+ · 3.9★ (343) wp.org #3 ↑1 1 too low 3 Admin Columns 100K+ · 4.9★ (1652) wp.org #8 ↑1 5 too low 4 WP-Sweep 100K+ · 4.7★ (138) wp.org #5 ↑1 1 too low 5 WP Fastest Cache – WordPress Cache Plugin 1M+ · 4.9★ (4228) wp.org #10 ↑10 5 too low 6 FluentCRM – Email Newsletter, Automation, Email Marketing, Email Campaigns, Optins, Leads, and CRM Solution 80K+ · 4.8★ (250) wp.org #9 ↑6 3 too low 7 P Posts 2 Posts 9K+ · 4.8★ (101) wp.org #7 8 A ACF Post-2-Post 3K+ · 5.0★ (39) wp.org #6 ↑2 2 too high 9 MB Relationships 1K+ · 4.6★ (5) wp.org #2 7 too high 10 WP Data Access – App Builder for Tables, Forms, Dashboards, Charts & Maps 10K+ · 4.9★ (88) wp.org #13 3 too low 11 Admin Menu Tree Page View 10K+ · 4.6★ (48) wp.org #11 12 GiveWP – Donation Plugin and Fundraising Platform 100K+ · 4.6★ (708) wp.org #15 ↓1 3 too low 13 TermsFeed AutoTerms: Privacy Policy Generator, Cookie Consent, GDPR, CCPA, Terms & Conditions, Disclaimers, Cookies Policy, EULA 70K+ · 4.7★ (246) wp.org #23 ↑1 10 too low 14 Repeaters & Relationships Connector with ACF for Elementor 900+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #4 ↑1 10 too high 15 D Duplicate Menu 100K+ · 4.6★ (104) wp.org #19 ↓6 4 too low 16 Jetpack CRM – Clients, Leads, Invoices, Billing, Email Marketing, & Automation 30K+ · 4.3★ (152) wp.org #20 ↓4 4 too low 17 MetForm – Contact Form, Survey, Quiz, Conditional Forms, Form Templates & Custom Form Builder for Elementor 500K+ · 4.7★ (509) wp.org #16 ↑2 1 too high 18 WP REST Cache 10K+ · 4.9★ (42) wp.org #17 1 too high 19 LWS Cleaner 20K+ · 4.8★ (16) wp.org #22 3 too low 20 Brevo for WooCommerce 30K+ · 3.4★ (55) wp.org #14 ↓2 6 too high 21 Pods Beaver Themer Add-On 8K+ · 5.0★ (35) wp.org #24 ↓3 3 too low 22 Meta for WooCommerce 400K+ · 2.1★ (481) wp.org #12 ↓2 10 too high 23 Drip – Marketing Automation for WooCommerce 1K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #18 ↓1 5 too high 24 Dynamic ACF Repeater for Elementor 1K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #21 ↓2 3 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.