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← Rankings

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

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 “rolling”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 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

MarqueeAll – Elementor Marquee for Image, Text, Post Grid, Testimonial, Cryptocurrency, Faqs & News Ticker 🌀 shows at wp.org #12 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 1K+ 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

Store Vacation Lite for WooCommerce places #8 on merit, 4.6★ from 189 reviews, but shows at wp.org #13. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 WP Rollback – Rollback Plugins and Themes 200K+ · 4.9★ (215) wp.org #1 2 Pixel Manager for WooCommerce – Conversion Tracking, Google Ads, GA4, TikTok, Dynamic Remarketing 40K+ · 4.9★ (399) wp.org #5 ↓1 3 too low 3 Style Kits for Elementor 10K+ · 4.7★ (44) wp.org #3 4 Otter Blocks – Gutenberg Blocks, Page Builder for Gutenberg Editor & FSE 300K+ · 4.7★ (251) wp.org #6 ↓1 2 too low 5 Counters Block – Animated Number Counters, Stats & Dynamic KPIs 3K+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #2 3 too high 6 Tangible: Loops & Logic 2K+ · 4.9★ (39) wp.org #10 4 too low 7 Users Registration Date – Sortable Users Column 3K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #4 ↓1 3 too high 8 Store Vacation Lite for WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.6★ (189) wp.org #13 ↓5 5 too low 9 Read More Without Refresh 20K+ · 4.2★ (55) wp.org #14 ↓1 5 too low 10 Printful Integration for WooCommerce 50K+ · 2.5★ (97) wp.org #7 ↓1 3 too high 11 Live Shopping & Shoppable Videos For WooCommerce 300+ · 4.6★ (9) wp.org #9 2 too high 12 WebToffee EU Order Withdrawal Button for WooCommerce 1K+ · 5.0★ (10) wp.org #8 ↓1 4 too high 13 Slider, Image Slider & Carousel by Slider Factory – Responsive Slideshow, Video Slider 2K+ · 4.5★ (13) wp.org #16 ↓2 3 too low 14 Creavi Appointment Booking Calendar 90+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #15 ↑6 1 too low 15 Segurium – Free Malware Removal & Auto Cleanup for Hacked Websites, Antivirus Scanner, Vulnerability Alerts 100+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #17 ↓1 2 too low 16 Alpaca Issue Tracker 100+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #18 ↓1 2 too low 17 Init Pulse For Discord – Webhooks, Roles, Instant 70+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #20 ↓2 3 too low 18 Weblix Analytics – Real-Time Stats & Visitor Counter 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #11 ↑1 7 too high 19 Revertix – Backup, Migration, Staging & Clone 10+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #24 5 too low 20 IA Magic Galleries 30+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #22 2 too low 21 BanglaPress – bKash, & Mobile Payment with Order Tracking & Invoice & Shipping Label Printing for WooCommerce 300+ · 4.0★ (4) wp.org #23 2 too low 22 MarqueeAll – Elementor Marquee for Image, Text, Post Grid, Testimonial, Cryptocurrency, Faqs & News Ticker 🌀 1K+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #12 ↓1 10 too high 23 KEKS Pay for WooCommerce 200+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #19 4 too high 24 ePayVista Payments: High-Risk Crypto and Card Payment Gateway for WooCommerce 30+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #21 ↓1 3 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.