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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “responsive calculator”

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 “responsive calculator”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 of the top 20. 4 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

BMI Adult & Kid Calculator shows at wp.org #4 but places #9 on merit, a gap of 5 places. Its 700+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Bit Form – Contact Form, Payment Forms, Multi Step Forms, Calculator & Custom Form Builder places #7 on merit, 5.0★ from 259 reviews, but shows at wp.org #19. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More 5M+ · 4.8★ (14387) wp.org #2 1 too low 2 Responsive Mortgage Calculator 7K+ · 4.4★ (21) wp.org #1 1 too high 3 Ninja Forms – Contact Form Builder with Calculators, Quizzes, Signatures & AI Form Builder 500K+ · 4.4★ (1397) wp.org #3 ↑1 4 Formidable Forms – Contact Form, Survey, Quiz, Payment, Calculator Form & Custom Form Builder 300K+ · 4.8★ (1388) wp.org #6 2 too low 5 Fluent Forms – Customizable Contact Forms, Survey, Quiz, & Conversational Form Builder 800K+ · 4.8★ (807) wp.org #9 ↓1 4 too low 6 Loan Calculator WP 2K+ · 5.0★ (24) wp.org #5 1 too high 7 Bit Form – Contact Form, Payment Forms, Multi Step Forms, Calculator & Custom Form Builder 10K+ · 5.0★ (259) wp.org #19 12 too low 8 Currency Converter Calculator 1K+ · 4.4★ (7) wp.org #8 ↓1 9 BMI Adult & Kid Calculator 700+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #4 5 too high 10 Mortgage Calculators WP 2K+ · 4.7★ (10) wp.org #16 ↑2 6 too low 11 Ovulation Calculator 200+ · 4.0★ (4) wp.org #7 ↑3 4 too high 12 Elemental Calculator 100+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #13 1 too low 13 Ultimate Loan & Mortgage Calculator 100+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #24 ↓2 11 too low 14 AC’s Loan Calculator 400+ · 3.7★ (3) wp.org #11 3 too high 15 AC’s Mortgage Calculator 300+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #10 ↓1 5 too high 16 AC’s Retirement Age Calculator 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #22 ↓2 6 too low 17 AC’s Savings Calculator 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #12 5 too high 18 AC’s Retirement Savings Calculator 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #15 3 too high 19 Smart Investment Calculator (For businesses) 200+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #14 5 too high 20 CI BMI Calculator 90+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #17 ↓1 3 too high 21 Smart Loan Calculator 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #18 ↓1 3 too high 22 ECU Remapping Performance Calculator 90+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 ↑2 1 too high 23 AC’s Auto Loan Calculator 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #20 ↓1 3 too high 24 Home Affordability Calculator 80+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 ↓2 1 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.