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

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 “sentry”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 of the top 20. 4 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

FLIZpay Gateway für WooCommerce shows at wp.org #7 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 17 places. Its 90+ 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.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Sentry for WordPress 10K+ · 4.9★ (16) wp.org #1 2 Headers Security Advanced & HSTS WP 90K+ · 4.9★ (79) wp.org #2 3 Bulk Page Generator – LPagery 3K+ · 5.0★ (31) wp.org #5 2 too low 4 Transferito: WP Migration 300+ · 4.5★ (16) wp.org #4 5 WP Fastest Site Search 100+ · 5.0★ (27) wp.org #8 3 too low 6 Accessibility by AllAccessible 2K+ · 5.0★ (15) wp.org #11 5 too low 7 Frontman – AI Website Editor 70+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #10 3 too low 8 Web-Engine Sentry 40+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #3 5 too high 9 Parcel2Go Shipping 100+ · 2.5★ (12) wp.org #6 3 too high 10 xfive Aristotle – Monitor Site Errors with Sentry 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #9 1 too high 11 Bluem ePayments, eMandates & iDIN for WordPress & WooCommerce 10+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #15 4 too low 12 SEO Sentry – SEO Change Detection & Alerts — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #12 13 Media Sentry — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #13 14 Wyld Registration Sentry — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #14 15 P Pircel for WooCommerce — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #18 3 too low 16 AgeSentry — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #19 3 too low 17 FP Site Security — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 3 too low 18 Hoovi BNPL — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 3 too low 19 ShadowScan Security Link — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 3 too low 20 Huddlespot Community — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 3 too low 21 Smol Links 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #16 ↑1 5 too high 22 Cetus Image Converter & AI Alt Text — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #24 2 too low 23 PasswordSentry 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #17 ↓1 6 too high 24 FLIZpay Gateway für WooCommerce 90+ · 3.0★ (1) wp.org #7 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.