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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “shortcode calculator”

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 “shortcode calculator”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 14 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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.

Ranked above its merit

EMI Calculator shows at wp.org #6 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 14 places. Its 600+ 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

Fluent Forms – Customizable Contact Forms, Survey, Quiz, & Conversational Form Builder places #11 on merit, 4.8★ from 807 reviews, but shows at wp.org #24. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Cost Calculator Builder 20K+ · 4.5★ (393) wp.org #2 ↑2 1 too low 2 Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2144) wp.org #4 ↓1 2 too low 3 Mortgage Calculator 4K+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #1 2 too high 4 Ninja Forms – Contact Form Builder with Calculators, Quizzes, Signatures & AI Form Builder 500K+ · 4.4★ (1397) wp.org #7 ↓2 3 too low 5 Responsive Mortgage Calculator 7K+ · 4.4★ (21) wp.org #3 ↓1 2 too high 6 WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More 5M+ · 4.8★ (14387) wp.org #14 ↓1 8 too low 7 Formidable Forms – Contact Form, Survey, Quiz, Payment, Calculator Form & Custom Form Builder 300K+ · 4.8★ (1388) wp.org #16 ↓1 9 too low 8 Campos Checkout Brasileiro para WooCommerce 5K+ · 4.9★ (45) wp.org #12 ↑2 4 too low 9 Loan Calculator WP 2K+ · 5.0★ (24) wp.org #11 ↓1 2 too low 10 Product page shipping calculator for WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.9★ (77) wp.org #17 ↓1 7 too low 11 Fluent Forms – Customizable Contact Forms, Survey, Quiz, & Conversational Form Builder 800K+ · 4.8★ (807) wp.org #24 ↓3 13 too low 12 Simple Mortgage Calculator 1K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #5 ↑1 7 too high 13 Calculator Builder – Create an Online Calculator 1K+ · 4.7★ (18) wp.org #13 ↓1 14 Mortgage Calculator 1K+ · 3.9★ (13) wp.org #10 ↓1 4 too high 15 WP Calorie Calculator 900+ · 4.7★ (12) wp.org #19 ↓1 4 too low 16 BMI Adult & Kid Calculator 700+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #8 8 too high 17 Currency Converter Calculator 1K+ · 4.4★ (7) wp.org #20 ↓1 3 too low 18 Tiny Yardage Calculator 300+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #21 ↑1 3 too low 19 Financial Calculator 400+ · 3.8★ (4) wp.org #15 ↑2 4 too high 20 EMI Calculator 600+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #6 ↑1 14 too high 21 Ovulation Calculator 200+ · 4.0★ (4) wp.org #18 ↑2 3 too high 22 Loan Calculator 400+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #9 ↑2 13 too high 23 CC BMI Calculator 700+ · 3.3★ (4) wp.org #23 ↑1 24 AC’s Mortgage Calculator 300+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #22 ↑1 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.