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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “sidebar clock”

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 “sidebar clock”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 14 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

Alert Box Block – Grab Attention with Eye-Catching Notices shows at wp.org #9 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 400+ 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

Finale Lite – Sales Countdown Timer & Discount for WooCommerce places #5 on merit, 4.7★ from 151 reviews, but shows at wp.org #17. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408) wp.org #3 2 too low 2 Simple Digital Clock 🕒 500+ · 4.3★ (12) wp.org #1 1 too high 3 Buttonizer – Social Media Share Buttons, Social Icons, & Social Feeds 40K+ · 4.8★ (396) wp.org #11 8 too low 4 CoolClock 1K+ · 4.7★ (15) wp.org #6 2 too low 5 Finale Lite – Sales Countdown Timer & Discount for WooCommerce 3K+ · 4.7★ (151) wp.org #17 12 too low 6 CP Multi View Events Calendar 900+ · 4.3★ (46) wp.org #10 4 too low 7 Digital Clock 300+ · 4.3★ (3) wp.org #2 5 too high 8 ERP: Complete HR, Accounting & CRM Suite Built for WooCommerce 5K+ · 4.4★ (149) wp.org #20 12 too low 9 The School Management – Education & Learning ERP 700+ · 4.5★ (15) wp.org #15 ↑1 6 too low 10 Migrate to WordPress.com 2K+ · 4.7★ (9) wp.org #12 2 too low 11 Popup builder with Gamification, Multi-Step Popups, Page-Level Targeting, and WooCommerce Triggers 70K+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #18 7 too low 12 Welcome Greetings based on Time 30+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #7 5 too high 13 IP2Location World Clock 200+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #5 8 too high 14 L Live Clock Widget 90+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #4 10 too high 15 Better Chat Support for Messenger 1K+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #21 ↓2 6 too low 16 Time.now Clock Widget 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #8 8 too high 17 Countdown Timer Block – build urgency for events and launches 2K+ · 4.0★ (4) wp.org #14 3 too high 18 Local Time Clock 1K+ · 3.1★ (10) wp.org #16 ↓1 2 too high 19 Eventward 400+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #24 5 too low 20 Blockenberg — 645 Advanced Gutenberg Blocks, 683 Templates and AI Agent for WordPress Block Editor 1K+ · 4.6★ (5) wp.org #19 ↑2 1 too high 21 Alert Box Block – Grab Attention with Eye-Catching Notices 400+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #9 12 too high 22 StoreBuild – Online Store Builder for WooCommerce 500+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #23 1 too low 23 MWR Hit Counter 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #13 10 too high 24 Muslim Prayer Times 60+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #22 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.