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

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 “shadcn”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 16 of the top 20.

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

WD Quick Pages shows at wp.org #5 but places #10 on merit, a gap of 5 places. Its 30+ 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

FakerPress places #2 on merit, 4.9★ from 205 reviews, but shows at wp.org #14. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 File Manager Pro – Filester 100K+ · 4.9★ (155) wp.org #1 2 FakerPress 10K+ · 4.9★ (205) wp.org #14 ↓1 12 too low 3 PressedMail – Email Client, Inbox & Webmail 100+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #4 1 too low 4 Bookster – Appointment Booking Management System 100+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #6 2 too low 5 ERA Markdown Importer 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #2 3 too high 6 Y YayCommerce Blocks for Shadcn UI — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #3 3 too high 7 Domain For Sale – Landing Page Per Domain, Domain Mapping, Offers & Listings 200+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #16 ↓1 9 too low 8 PaapiPlugin – Amazon Affiliate Product Boxes, Tables and Search 10+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #7 1 too high 9 Storage for Woo via S3-Compatible 100+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #15 ↓1 6 too low 10 WD Quick Pages 30+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #5 5 too high 11 JD FloatLinker — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #8 3 too high 12 CodeClove School Management System — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #9 3 too high 13 Maqsy: FAQ Manager and AI Chat — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #10 3 too high 14 Visitor Components for Clerk — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #11 3 too high 15 GreetPlayer – Video Player, Video Bubble, Audio Player & Lead Capture 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #19 ↓1 4 too low 16 S Swift Backup — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #12 4 too high 17 Storage for EDD via S3-Compatible 10+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #20 ↓1 3 too low 18 Masetti Static Site Publisher — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #13 5 too high 19 HandyPay Payments 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 ↓1 2 too low 20 Advanced Members for ACF 40+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #17 ↓1 3 too high 21 Storage for Woo via Dropbox 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #18 ↓1 3 too high 22 CardCrafter – Data-Driven Card Grids 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #24 ↓1 2 too low 23 Storage for EDD via OneDrive — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #22 ↓1 1 too high 24 Storage for EDD via Dropbox — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #23 ↓1 1 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.