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← Rankings

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

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 “sharing”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 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 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

Ocean Product Sharing shows at wp.org #3 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 18 places. Its 20K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 0.0★ average from 0 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI places #10 on merit, 4.8★ from 27821 reviews, but shows at wp.org #22. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Scriptless Social Sharing 10K+ · 5.0★ (70) wp.org #1 2 Social Media Share Buttons & Social Sharing Icons 100K+ · 4.8★ (5333) wp.org #5 ↓2 3 too low 3 Ocean Social Sharing 60K+ · 4.5★ (11) wp.org #2 1 too high 4 Social Sharing (by Danny) 2K+ · 5.0★ (68) wp.org #6 ↑2 2 too low 5 Social Sharing Block 7K+ · 5.0★ (18) wp.org #4 ↑3 1 too high 6 Hubbub Lite – Fast, free social sharing and follow buttons 30K+ · 4.7★ (173) wp.org #9 ↑1 3 too low 7 WP Statistics – Simple, privacy-friendly Google Analytics alternative 500K+ · 4.1★ (759) wp.org #10 3 too low 8 Photo Gallery, Sliders, Proofing and Themes – NextGEN Gallery 300K+ · 4.3★ (4342) wp.org #11 ↑1 3 too low 9 Simple Social Media Share Buttons – Social Sharing for Everyone 20K+ · 4.8★ (194) wp.org #8 ↑3 1 too high 10 Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI 10M+ · 4.8★ (27821) wp.org #22 ↑2 12 too low 11 Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408) wp.org #15 ↓10 4 too low 12 Social Login, Social Sharing by miniOrange 10K+ · 4.6★ (356) wp.org #13 1 too low 13 Social Sharing Plugin – Sassy Social Share 100K+ · 4.8★ (523) wp.org #24 ↓5 11 too low 14 Robo Gallery – Photo & Image Slider 40K+ · 4.3★ (406) wp.org #20 6 too low 15 My Calendar – Accessible Event Manager 20K+ · 4.7★ (159) wp.org #19 ↓5 4 too low 16 Maintenance 1M+ · 4.4★ (869) wp.org #18 2 too low 17 Super Web Share – Native Social Sharing Button 2K+ · 4.9★ (29) wp.org #12 ↑4 5 too high 18 User Private Files – Secure File Sharing and Client Portal Plugin 1K+ · 4.4★ (57) wp.org #14 ↑3 4 too high 19 AddToAny Share Buttons 300K+ · 4.7★ (1114) wp.org #23 ↓3 4 too low 20 Highlight and Share – Unobtrusive and Lightweight Content Sharing 700+ · 4.9★ (29) wp.org #21 1 too low 21 Ocean Product Sharing 20K+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #3 ↑1 18 too high 22 Sharing Image 600+ · 4.7★ (3) wp.org #7 ↑2 15 too high 23 Social Sharing Plugin – Kiwi 4K+ · 4.1★ (18) wp.org #17 ↑1 6 too high 24 Social Rocket – Social Sharing Plugin 1K+ · 5.0★ (12) wp.org #16 ↑7 8 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.