wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “religion”
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 “religion”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 7 of the top 20. 7 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
WP Audio Verse shows at wp.org #13 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 7 places. Its 40+ 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
GDPR places #2 on merit, 4.3★ from 58 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.
RSS Aggregator by Feedzy – Feed to Post, Autoblogging, News & YouTube Video Feeds Aggregator 40K+ · 4.6★ (361)
wp.org #1 2 GDPR 10K+ · 4.3★ (58)
wp.org #8 6 too low 3 
Seriously Simple Podcasting 20K+ · 4.7★ (330) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #9 6 too low 4 
Holy Rosary — · 0.0★ (0) thin reviewslow rating, top placement
wp.org #3 1 too high 5 
Special Promotion and Support — · 0.0★ (0) thin reviewslow rating, top placement
wp.org #4 1 too high 6 G Genealogy 50+ · 2.3★ (3) thin reviewslow rating, top placement
wp.org #2 4 too high 7 
Equiroof – Fair Housing Language & Rental Fee Disclosure — · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews
wp.org #6 1 too high 8 
Tamil Thirukkural Quotes Plugin 10+ · 5.0★ (1) closure risk thin reviewsstale but ranked
wp.org #5 3 too high 9 
AP Casework Manager – Client Management for Genealogists — · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews
wp.org #7 2 too high 10 P Pohela Boishakh — · 5.0★ (3) closure risk thin reviews
wp.org #21 11 too low 11 
Islamic Archive For Islam and Hinduism — · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviewsstale but ranked
wp.org #10 1 too high 12 
Lussblog — · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews
wp.org #11 1 too high 13 
Church Dictionar — · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviews
wp.org #12 1 too high 14 
Report Bad Buyers and Screen New Ones 10+ · 5.0★ (2) closure risk thin reviews
wp.org #20 6 too low 15 
The Joshua Project, Nation Info 10+ · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviews
wp.org #14 1 too high 16 
Franklin 10+ · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviews
wp.org #15 1 too high 17 
Open Orphanage 10+ · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviews
wp.org #17 18 D Diffen 10+ · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviews
wp.org #18 19 T Tenrikyo Service Times Widget — · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviews
wp.org #19 20 WP Audio Verse 40+ · 0.0★ (0) throws errorsnot PHP-currentclosure risk thin reviews
wp.org #13 7 too high 21 N neighbourhood.io — · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviews
wp.org #22 1 too low 22 G Gravity Forms Janrain Add-on 10+ · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviews
wp.org #23 1 too low 23 
Cyber Fundraiser Lite — · 1.0★ (1) closure risk thin reviews
wp.org #16 7 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.