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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “relative date”

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 “relative date”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 of the top 20. 1 plugin is 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

WP-RelativeDate shows at wp.org #8 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 16 places. Its 100+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More places #7 on merit, 4.8★ from 14387 reviews, but shows at wp.org #22. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 WP Date and Time Shortcode 10K+ · 4.9★ (31) wp.org #1 2 Site Reviews 60K+ · 4.9★ (376) wp.org #4 ↓1 2 too low 3 Ad Inserter – Ad Manager & AdSense Ads 300K+ · 4.9★ (2433) wp.org #9 ↓1 6 too low 4 Event Organiser 20K+ · 4.6★ (140) wp.org #5 ↓1 1 too low 5 Recent Posts Widget With Thumbnails 100K+ · 4.8★ (215) wp.org #10 ↓1 5 too low 6 Advanced Query Loop 6K+ · 4.6★ (30) wp.org #6 ↓1 7 WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More 5M+ · 4.8★ (14387) wp.org #22 15 too low 8 Nepali Date Utilities 1K+ · 4.7★ (3) wp.org #2 6 too high 9 Super RSS Reader – Add attractive RSS Feed Widget 9K+ · 4.6★ (67) wp.org #12 ↓1 3 too low 10 Simple History – Track, Log, and Audit WordPress Changes 300K+ · 4.9★ (491) wp.org #23 ↓2 13 too low 11 Events Manager – Calendar, Bookings, Tickets, Appointments and more! 60K+ · 4.2★ (551) wp.org #16 ↓3 5 too low 12 Enable Media Replace 600K+ · 4.4★ (302) wp.org #17 ↑3 5 too low 13 Mail logging & Catcher 20K+ · 4.9★ (108) wp.org #24 ↓1 11 too low 14 WP All Export – Product Export Add-On for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.5★ (24) wp.org #13 ↓3 1 too high 15 Advanced Datepicker – Restricts Date for WPForms 300+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #3 ↓1 12 too high 16 RootsPersona 400+ · 4.6★ (17) wp.org #14 2 too high 17 YITH WooCommerce Wishlist 400K+ · 3.9★ (262) wp.org #19 ↓2 2 too low 18 CoolClock 1K+ · 4.7★ (15) wp.org #20 ↓2 2 too low 19 Today-Yesterday Dates 100+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #11 ↑1 8 too high 20 Custom Datepicker NMR 1K+ · 4.6★ (5) wp.org #21 ↓2 1 too low 21 Simple Show Date 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #7 ↓1 14 too high 22 Key Manager – Effortlessly sell license keys, game keys, pin codes, gift cards, and more with WooCommerce 200+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #15 7 too high 23 Export/Import Media – CSV Media Library Import & Export 1K+ · 3.7★ (3) wp.org #18 ↓2 5 too high 24 WP-RelativeDate 100+ · 3.0★ (2) wp.org #8 ↓1 16 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.