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

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 “sb”, 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

SB Simple Photo Gallery Block for Gutenberg shows at wp.org #7 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 17 places. Its 10+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Name Directory places #5 on merit, 4.9★ from 81 reviews, but shows at wp.org #24. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 FormsDB – Save Elementor Forms to Google Sheets & Post Type 20K+ · 4.6★ (19) wp.org #1 2 Simple Blog Stats 4K+ · 4.9★ (38) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 10Web Booster – Website speed optimization, Cache & Page Speed optimizer 60K+ · 4.6★ (405) wp.org #17 14 too low 4 Booking for Appointments and Events Calendar – Amelia 90K+ · 4.6★ (793) wp.org #19 ↓1 15 too low 5 Name Directory 2K+ · 4.9★ (81) wp.org #24 19 too low 6 SB Chart block 300+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #2 4 too high 7 Step-By-Step Ordering System for WooCommerce 10+ · 4.2★ (5) wp.org #6 ↑16 1 too high 8 SB Children block 400+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #4 4 too high 9 SbS Settings 40+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #5 4 too high 10 SB Replayborg — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #8 ↓1 2 too high 11 sb custom logo by sbtechbd — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #10 ↓1 1 too high 12 THRON 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #11 ↓1 1 too high 13 Qthemy Slider Builder — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #9 ↓1 4 too high 14 Payment Gateway SBPS for WooCommerce — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #12 ↓1 2 too high 15 SanBar EXPress IMG Tuner for WooCommerce — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #13 2 too high 16 Combine Social Photos | Still BE 700+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #23 ↓2 7 too low 17 SanBar Menu Maker — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #15 ↓3 2 too high 18 SB Random Posts Widget 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #14 4 too high 19 Stereoscopic Image Viewer — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #16 3 too high 20 Bahader Loyalty Points & Rewards for WooCommerce — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #18 2 too high 21 NowOrCry Deals — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 ↓5 1 too high 22 SurfacedBy AI Visibility – AI Traffic, Crawler Analytics & llms.txt — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 ↓2 1 too high 23 SB data importer – WP all import add-on 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 ↓2 1 too high 24 SB Simple Photo Gallery Block for Gutenberg 10+ · 3.0★ (1) wp.org #7 ↓1 17 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.