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

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 “roadmap”, 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

Roadmap and Feedback Plugin for WordPress – SimpleBoards shows at wp.org #1 but places #10 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 20+ 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

Nelio A/B Testing – AB Tests and Heatmaps for Better Conversion Optimization places #12 on merit, 4.8★ from 97 reviews, but shows at wp.org #21. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Timeline Widget For Elementor (Elementor Timeline, Vertical & Horizontal Timeline) 70K+ · 4.8★ (247) wp.org #3 2 too low 2 Cool Timeline (Horizontal & Vertical Timeline) 20K+ · 4.7★ (328) wp.org #4 2 too low 3 Rich Showcase for Google Reviews 100K+ · 4.9★ (1618) wp.org #6 3 too low 4 All in One SEO – AI SEO Plugin to Boost SEO Rankings & Traffic (Schema, Local SEO, Sitemap & SEO Insights) 2M+ · 4.7★ (5209) wp.org #5 1 too low 5 Admin Columns 100K+ · 4.9★ (1653) wp.org #9 4 too low 6 WP Go Maps – Google Map, OpenStreetMap, Leaflet Map 300K+ · 4.8★ (3046) wp.org #13 ↓1 7 too low 7 WP Roadmap – Product Feedback Board 100+ · 3.9★ (7) wp.org #2 5 too high 8 Easy Table of Contents 600K+ · 4.4★ (221) wp.org #15 7 too low 9 Sucuri Security – Auditing, Malware Scanner and Security Hardening 600K+ · 4.2★ (384) wp.org #12 ↑1 3 too low 10 Roadmap and Feedback Plugin for WordPress – SimpleBoards 20+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #1 9 too high 11 W WP FullCalendar 8K+ · 4.7★ (96) wp.org #18 7 too low 12 Nelio A/B Testing – AB Tests and Heatmaps for Better Conversion Optimization 4K+ · 4.8★ (97) wp.org #21 ↓3 9 too low 13 AI 50K+ · 4.6★ (9) wp.org #8 5 too high 14 Vertical Timeline Widget for Elementor 10K+ · 4.8★ (26) wp.org #10 4 too high 15 Timeline Block For Gutenberg 9K+ · 4.4★ (11) wp.org #7 8 too high 16 EU Withdrawal and Legal Guarantee Compliance 1K+ · 5.0★ (17) wp.org #19 3 too low 17 Timeline Block – tell your story with elegant timelines 3K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #11 6 too high 18 Timeline Module for Divi 3K+ · 4.8★ (9) wp.org #14 4 too high 19 R REST API Log 5K+ · 3.6★ (24) wp.org #17 2 too high 20 Changeloger – Changelog, Release Notes & User Feedback 200+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #24 4 too low 21 Timeline – Tell Your Story Through Events and Milestones 2K+ · 4.3★ (6) wp.org #16 5 too high 22 Gmap Block 10K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #20 2 too high 23 Sleekplan – User Feedback, Roadmap & Changelog 10+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #22 ↓2 1 too high 24 Power Coupons for WooCommerce 30K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #23 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.