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

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 “relay”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 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

Apaczka.pl Mapa Punktów shows at wp.org #12 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 2K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.0★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Advanced Shipment Tracking for WooCommerce places #6 on merit, 4.5★ from 353 reviews, but shows at wp.org #10. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Redis Object Cache 500K+ · 4.4★ (177) wp.org #1 2 WPVibe – WordPress MCP Server. Connect Claude, ChatGPT & Any AI Agent via MCP 30K+ · 5.0★ (60) wp.org #4 2 too low 3 WCMultiShipping — Mondial Relay, Inpost & Chronopost for WooCommerce 5K+ · 4.9★ (31) wp.org #2 1 too high 4 Burst Statistics – Simple WordPress Analytics (Google Analytics Alternative) 200K+ · 4.9★ (185) wp.org #7 3 too low 5 Easy MCP AI – Connect Claude to WordPress: MCP Server for ChatGPT & AI Agents 10K+ · 5.0★ (10) wp.org #3 2 too high 6 Advanced Shipment Tracking for WooCommerce 70K+ · 4.5★ (353) wp.org #10 ↓1 4 too low 7 Boxtal – Shipping solution 9K+ · 4.0★ (46) wp.org #6 1 too high 8 OpenStation: Desktop Windows, Dock & Virtual Desktops for WP Admin 1K+ · 5.0★ (23) wp.org #21 13 too low 9 SendForce Mail SMTP Relay – SMTP and Email API 20+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #5 4 too high 10 VPN Guard – Block VPN, Proxy, Bots & Anonymous Visitors 200+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #18 8 too low 11 DoLogin Security 7K+ · 4.5★ (13) wp.org #19 ↑1 8 too low 12 Simple SMTP by Maileroo 700+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #9 ↓1 3 too high 13 CDI – Collect and Deliver Interface for Woocommerce 200+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #8 ↑2 5 too high 14 AjaxPress – SPA & Ajax Navigation with Persistent Audio Player for Radio 100+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #23 ↑1 9 too low 15 Connect Gravity Forms to Google Sheets – WPSyncSheets For Gravity Forms 200+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #15 16 Sendcloud Shipping 6K+ · 2.8★ (12) wp.org #17 ↓1 1 too low 17 Cowboy MCP – Free MCP Server with Undo for Claude & ChatGPT 300+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #20 3 too low 18 Relay 60+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #13 5 too high 19 CAPI Suite: Meta Pixel, Pinterest & TikTok for WooCommerce 70+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #22 3 too low 20 A AutoNetTV Relay — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #11 9 too high 21 NIBWP – WordPress MCP Server – Connect Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor & Any AI Agent via MCP 300+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #14 7 too high 22 Apaczka.pl Mapa Punktów 2K+ · 3.0★ (3) wp.org #12 10 too high 23 WPGraphQL for ACF 10K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #16 ↑1 7 too high 24 Custom SMTP: Email Deliverability – FREE & Easy-to-use 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #24 ↓5

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.