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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “select categories”

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 “select categories”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 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 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

Collapsing Categories shows at wp.org #7 but places #14 on merit, a gap of 7 places. Its 4K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.1★ average from 57 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Folders – Unlimited Folders to Organize Media Library Folder, Pages, Posts, File Manager places #5 on merit, 5.0★ from 1525 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 Categories Images 50K+ · 4.5★ (86) wp.org #1 2 List category posts 80K+ · 4.7★ (254) wp.org #5 3 too low 3 JS Categories List Widget 1K+ · 4.8★ (15) wp.org #3 4 Select All Categories and Taxonomies, Change Checkbox to Radio Buttons 3K+ · 4.3★ (12) wp.org #2 2 too high 5 Folders – Unlimited Folders to Organize Media Library Folder, Pages, Posts, File Manager 90K+ · 5.0★ (1525) wp.org #13 ↑6 8 too low 6 Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI 10M+ · 4.8★ (27821) wp.org #14 ↑8 8 too low 7 Categories Metabox Enhanced 1K+ · 4.9★ (16) wp.org #4 3 too high 8 Schedule Post Changes With PublishPress Future: Unpublish, Delete, Change Status, Trash, Change Categories 100K+ · 4.5★ (172) wp.org #10 ↓3 2 too low 9 Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ · 4.7★ (1667) wp.org #12 ↓3 3 too low 10 Category AJAX Filter – Posts, Custom Post Types & Product Filter 6K+ · 4.9★ (158) wp.org #11 1 too low 11 Ultimate Category Excluder 50K+ · 4.3★ (78) wp.org #8 ↑1 3 too high 12 WP Categories Widget 6K+ · 4.5★ (27) wp.org #6 6 too high 13 PublishPress Taxonomies – Tag, Category, and Taxonomy Manager – Autotagger Automatically Add Terms 40K+ · 4.6★ (195) wp.org #18 ↓2 5 too low 14 Collapsing Categories 4K+ · 4.1★ (57) wp.org #7 ↑1 7 too high 15 Bulk Edit Categories and Tags – Create Thousands Quickly on the Editor 3K+ · 4.5★ (26) wp.org #9 ↑1 6 too high 16 Category Posts Block 40K+ · 4.5★ (79) wp.org #15 ↓1 1 too high 17 Media Library Organizer – Folders, File Manager & Media Categories 20K+ · 4.7★ (150) wp.org #21 ↓1 4 too low 18 Product Category Slider & Grid for WooCommerce – Reno Product Category 9K+ · 4.8★ (91) wp.org #16 ↓3 2 too high 19 Colorful Categories 2K+ · 4.7★ (13) wp.org #19 ↓2 20 List all posts by Authors, nested Categories and Titles 600+ · 5.0★ (10) wp.org #20 21 CatFolders – WordPress Media Library Folders & Categories 6K+ · 4.3★ (22) wp.org #24 3 too low 22 Automatic Product Categories for WooCommerce 400+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #17 ↓2 5 too high 23 Product Category Showcase for WooCommerce 1K+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #23 24 Product Category 300+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #22 2 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.