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← Rankings

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

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 “rosters”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 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

WP Roster shows at wp.org #2 but places #9 on merit, a gap of 7 places. Its 10+ 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

Social Login, Social Sharing by miniOrange places #5 on merit, 4.6★ from 356 reviews, but shows at wp.org #11. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 WP Chat App 100K+ · 4.9★ (222) wp.org #1 2 Dynamic Team Manager – Team Member Showcase with grid, slider, table Elementor widget & shortcode 900+ · 4.6★ (25) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 Privacy Policy Generator, Terms & Conditions, GDPR, CCPA, Cookie Policy & Disclaimer Templates – WPLP Legal Pages 10K+ · 4.7★ (93) wp.org #7 ↑1 4 too low 4 WPLP Cookie Consent – Cookie Banner & Consent Management for GDPR, CCPA & Google Consent Mode 9K+ · 4.6★ (51) wp.org #6 2 too low 5 Social Login, Social Sharing by miniOrange 10K+ · 4.6★ (356) wp.org #11 6 too low 6 File Uploads Addon for WooCommerce 4K+ · 3.7★ (27) wp.org #8 ↑1 2 too low 7 AnWP Sports Leagues – Basketball, Ice Hockey, Handball, Rugby & More 100+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #4 3 too high 8 Buying Buddy IDX CRM – Real Estate MLS Plugin 500+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #5 3 too high 9 WP Roster 10+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #2 7 too high 10 Live Event Seating Lite – Seating Chart, Floor Plan, RSVP & Event Ticket 40+ · 5.0★ (12) wp.org #14 4 too low 11 Contact Form to Chat Apps | Click to Chat to Order – FormyChat 3K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #10 1 too high 12 EventAdmin – Volunteer Management 50+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #9 ↓2 3 too high 13 miniOrange Discord Integration 100+ · 3.5★ (8) wp.org #12 1 too high 14 Mission – Donation Plugin for WordPress – Fundraising & Recurring Donations 70+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #16 2 too low 15 Studio Modules for Divi | Divi Studio Lite 200+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #13 2 too high 16 EmpRoster — · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #22 6 too low 17 LabelGrid Tools 60+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #15 2 too high 18 Dienstplan 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #18 19 Guild Roster Importer for WoW — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 1 too low 20 J Judaval Form Roster for Contact Form 7 — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 1 too low 21 Koinonia Link 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #17 4 too high 22 Football Club Manager for Sportlink 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 1 too low 23 S Staff Schedule and Work Roster — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #24 1 too low 24 LIMNET Association Ballot Manager — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #19 5 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.