wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “review reply”
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 “review reply”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 7 of the top 20.
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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.
Ranked above its merit
Widgets for Thumbtack Reviews shows at wp.org #13 but places #17 on merit, a gap of 4 places. Its 900+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Comments – wpDiscuz places #9 on merit, 4.7★ from 581 reviews, but shows at wp.org #15. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Widgets for Google Reviews 1M+ · 4.9★ (2667)
wp.org #1 2 
Customer Reviews for WooCommerce 80K+ · 4.8★ (1539)
wp.org #2 3 
Rich Showcase for Google Reviews 100K+ · 4.9★ (1623)
wp.org #3 4 
Widgets for Airbnb Reviews 6K+ · 4.6★ (60)
wp.org #4 ↑2 5 
Widgets for Booking.com Reviews 9K+ · 4.9★ (65)
wp.org #5 ↓1 6 
Ultimate Member – User Profile, Registration, Login, Member Directory, Content Restriction & Membership Plugin 200K+ · 4.4★ (1445)
wp.org #10 ↓2 4 too low 7 
WP Tripadvisor Review Widgets 20K+ · 4.1★ (116)
wp.org #6 ↓1 1 too high 8 
Widgets for Reviews & Recommendations 8K+ · 4.6★ (98)
wp.org #8 ↑1 9 Comments – wpDiscuz 60K+ · 4.7★ (581)
wp.org #15 ↓5 6 too low 10 
Widgets for Amazon Reviews 2K+ · 4.0★ (45)
wp.org #7 3 too high 11 
ReviewX – Multi-Criteria Reviews for WooCommerce with Google Reviews & Schema 6K+ · 4.5★ (85)
wp.org #11 12 
Reviews Widgets for Google & 45+ platforms by Repuso 1K+ · 4.8★ (25)
wp.org #9 3 too high 13 
Faview – Virtual Reviews for WooCommerce 6K+ · 4.6★ (54)
wp.org #16 ↓1 3 too low 14 B Book Review Library 200+ · 4.8★ (16) thin reviews
wp.org #14 15 
Widgets for Yelp Reviews 3K+ · 3.8★ (10) thin reviews
wp.org #12 3 too high 16 
Reviews Plus 1K+ · 4.4★ (15) thin reviews
wp.org #18 ↓1 2 too low 17 Widgets for Thumbtack Reviews 900+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #13 4 too high 18 
Widgets for Ebay Reviews 500+ · 4.2★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #20 ↓1 2 too low 19 
Widgets for Capterra Reviews 100+ · 4.3★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #17 ↓1 2 too high 20 
Widgets for Opentable Reviews 60+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews
wp.org #19 ↓1 1 too high 21 
Widgets for Zillow Reviews 300+ · 3.0★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #23 2 too low 22 
Reply-To for WP_Mail 100+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #21 ↓1 1 too high 23 
Smart Showcase for Google Reviews 100+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #22 ↓1 1 too high 24 
Widgets for Hotels.com Reviews 40+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #24 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.