wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “scary plugin”
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 “scary plugin”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 of the top 20. 5 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
Sandbox Site powered by Playground shows at wp.org #4 but places #11 on merit, a gap of 7 places. Its 30+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Post to Google My Business (Google Business Profile) 10K+ · 4.9★ (159)
wp.org #2 1 too low 2 
SendWP 10K+ · 4.1★ (14) thin reviews
wp.org #1 1 too high 3 
Speed Booster Pack ⚡ PageSpeed Optimization Suite 8K+ · 4.3★ (186)
wp.org #6 3 too low 4 
Toolbelt 300+ · 5.0★ (16) closure risk thin reviewsstale but ranked
wp.org #5 1 too low 5 
Split Pay – Stripe Connect Split Payments & Multi-Vendor Marketplace for WooCommerce & FluentCart 100+ · 5.0★ (21) thin reviews
wp.org #10 5 too low 6 
AI Search for WooCommerce — Semantic & Live Search 90+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #9 3 too low 7 
Codiecool Action Guard for AI Agents — · 0.0★ (0) thin reviewslow rating, top placement
wp.org #3 4 too high 8 
Coronavirus Spread Prediction Tools Free Version 10+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #11 3 too low 9 
Milardovich Extra Coupon Features — · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews
wp.org #7 2 too high 10 
RestorePilot Backup & Migration — · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews
wp.org #8 2 too high 11 Sandbox Site powered by Playground 30+ · 4.0★ (2) closure risk thin reviewsstale but ranked
wp.org #4 7 too high 12 W WP Google Charts 50+ · 4.7★ (3) closure risk thin reviews
wp.org #19 7 too low 13 
Ravnsight Detective – Diagnose Errors & Changes — · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews
wp.org #12 1 too high 14 D Disallow Pwned Password 10+ · 5.0★ (2) closure risk thin reviews
wp.org #17 3 too low 15 W WPR Halloween Scare 10+ · 5.0★ (2) closure risk thin reviews
wp.org #18 3 too low 16 
Three Object Viewer 20+ · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviews
wp.org #13 3 too high 17 W WP TagMan 10+ · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviews
wp.org #14 3 too high 18 
Halloween Panda 100+ · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviews
wp.org #15 3 too high 19 R Responsive Pricing Tables and Info Boxes 10+ · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviews
wp.org #16 3 too high 20 S Style My Tweets 10+ · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviews
wp.org #20 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.