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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “sibling pages”

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 “sibling pages”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 of the top 20. 1 plugin is 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

List Pages – Widget, Block & Shortcode shows at wp.org #10 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its — 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

Modula Image Gallery – Photo Grid & Video Gallery places #6 on merit, 4.7★ from 616 reviews, but shows at wp.org #21. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 P Page-list 30K+ · 4.7★ (89) wp.org #1 2 CC Child Pages 9K+ · 4.9★ (49) wp.org #2 3 Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (584) wp.org #4 1 too low 4 Kirki – Freeform Page Builder, Website Builder & Customizer 500K+ · 4.5★ (81) wp.org #3 1 too high 5 Advanced Sidebar Menu 10K+ · 4.5★ (37) wp.org #6 ↓1 1 too low 6 Modula Image Gallery – Photo Grid & Video Gallery 100K+ · 4.7★ (616) wp.org #21 ↓2 15 too low 7 SiteOrigin Widgets Bundle 400K+ · 4.9★ (134) wp.org #18 ↓2 11 too low 8 The School Management – Education & Learning ERP 700+ · 4.5★ (15) wp.org #9 ↓2 1 too low 9 Ele Conditions for Elementor 3K+ · 4.2★ (5) wp.org #5 ↓1 4 too high 10 Broadcast 1K+ · 4.9★ (214) wp.org #24 ↓2 14 too low 11 AMP WP – Google AMP For WordPress 600+ · 4.5★ (55) wp.org #23 ↓2 12 too low 12 Dynamic Visibility for Elementor 50K+ · 4.6★ (88) wp.org #19 ↓2 7 too low 13 Fast Etsy Listings 400+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #8 5 too high 14 Better Section Navigation 600+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #7 ↓1 7 too high 15 Genealogical Tree – Family Tree & Ancestry for WordPress 600+ · 4.1★ (16) wp.org #14 ↑1 1 too high 16 Successful Redirection for Contact Form 10K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #11 ↓1 5 too high 17 Fast eBay Listings 400+ · 4.5★ (18) wp.org #22 ↓2 5 too low 18 Pattern CSS – The CSS Editor For Blocks 100+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #20 ↓2 2 too low 19 UserAgent Themes Switcher 50+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #13 ↓2 6 too high 20 Related Categories for WooCommerce 70+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #16 4 too high 21 UserAgent Content Switcher 50+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #15 ↓3 6 too high 22 Moving Contents 60+ · 4.5★ (2) wp.org #17 ↓4 5 too high 23 List Pages – Widget, Block & Shortcode — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #10 ↓1 13 too high 24 Exif Details 300+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #12 ↑2 12 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.