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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “restrict filed”

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 “restrict filed”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 15 of the top 20. 3 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

AiO Podcast Studio: All-in-One Podcast Manager, Player & Publisher shows at wp.org #12 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its — installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Gift Cards (Gift Vouchers and Packages) (WooCommerce Supported) places #4 on merit, 4.7★ from 115 reviews, but shows at wp.org #17. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 AJAX Login and Registration modal popup + inline form 3K+ · 4.7★ (120) wp.org #4 ↑1 3 too low 2 Advanced Datepicker – Restricts Date for Contact Form 7 500+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #1 1 too high 3 Advanced Datepicker – Restrict Date for Elementor Forms 900+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #2 1 too high 4 Gift Cards (Gift Vouchers and Packages) (WooCommerce Supported) 1K+ · 4.7★ (115) wp.org #17 ↑1 13 too low 5 FileDeck – Document Library & Download Manager 100+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #5 ↓1 6 Payment Gateway for PayPal on WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.4★ (73) wp.org #14 ↑1 8 too low 7 Advanced Datepicker – Restricts Date for WPForms 300+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #3 4 too high 8 TrustLens – Fraud Prevention & Chargeback Defense for WooCommerce 20+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #8 9 CF7 Views – Complete Entry Management for Contact Form 7 1K+ · 4.6★ (17) wp.org #16 ↑1 7 too low 10 WCFM Membership – WooCommerce Memberships for Multivendor Marketplace 10K+ · 4.0★ (25) wp.org #20 10 too low 11 Pie Forms — Drag & Drop Form Builder 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #9 2 too high 12 Upcoming for Calendly 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #6 6 too high 13 Projectopia – Project Management Tool 200+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #21 8 too low 14 Who Changed It? – Activity Log & Audit Trail 100+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #23 ↑1 9 too low 15 Save & Continue for Elementor Forms 40+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #7 8 too high 16 GameEngine – Gamification, Points, Badges & Leaderboards 30+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #11 5 too high 17 LocalFeedback | Visual Client Feedback with Screenshots 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #10 7 too high 18 Undergroundact Bug Reporter — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #13 ↓1 5 too high 19 Checkout.com Payment Gateway 200+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #22 3 too low 20 BMLT Minutes — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #15 ↑1 5 too high 21 AiO Podcast Studio: All-in-One Podcast Manager, Player & Publisher — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #12 ↑2 9 too high 22 Kitgenix Custom Tabs for WooCommerce — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #18 4 too high 23 Ichipen Page Fix Request — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #19 4 too high 24 DirectoryPress – Business Directory And Classified Ad Listing 600+ · 3.0★ (2) wp.org #24 ↓1

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.