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

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 tab”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 15 of the top 20. 2 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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.

Ranked above its merit

Qthemy Slider Builder shows at wp.org #7 but places #13 on merit, a gap of 6 places. Its — 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

Booking for Appointments and Events Calendar – Amelia places #4 on merit, 4.6★ from 793 reviews, but shows at wp.org #8. 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 #2 3 10Web Booster – Website speed optimization, Cache & Page Speed optimizer 60K+ · 4.6★ (405) wp.org #6 ↓1 3 too low 4 Booking for Appointments and Events Calendar – Amelia 90K+ · 4.6★ (793) wp.org #8 ↓1 4 too low 5 Step-By-Step Ordering System for WooCommerce 10+ · 4.2★ (5) wp.org #4 ↑12 1 too high 6 Brilliant Web-to-Lead for Salesforce 2K+ · 4.4★ (38) wp.org #22 ↓2 16 too low 7 SbS Settings 40+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #3 4 too high 8 SB Replayborg — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #5 ↓1 3 too high 9 Section Blocks – Landing Page Sections for the Block Editor 10+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #20 ↓2 11 too low 10 Support Board Cloud 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #11 ↓3 1 too low 11 S SB Popular Posts Tabbed Widget 100+ · 4.3★ (7) wp.org #24 ↓2 13 too low 12 Bahader Loyalty Points & Rewards for WooCommerce — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #9 3 too high 13 Qthemy Slider Builder — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #7 ↓1 6 too high 14 Combine Social Photos | Still BE 700+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #15 ↓3 1 too low 15 SanBar Menu Maker — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #10 5 too high 16 SanBar EXPress IMG Tuner for WooCommerce — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #12 ↓3 4 too high 17 NowOrCry Deals — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #13 ↓3 4 too high 18 SurfacedBy AI Visibility – AI Traffic, Crawler Analytics & llms.txt — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #14 ↓3 4 too high 19 SanBar QuickProducts Entry for WooCommerce — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #16 ↓3 3 too high 20 SanBar EXPress Fiscal Check-BR — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 ↓3 3 too high 21 S SyncBooking — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #18 ↓3 3 too high 22 Nerdcom Chat — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 ↓2 1 too high 23 SB Tab Widget 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #23 ↓2 24 S SB SMS Sender 20+ · 3.0★ (2) wp.org #19 ↓2 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.