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

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 “sig”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 3 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

Homerunner shows at wp.org #3 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 21 places. Its 70+ installs carry it up the search order; its 2.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Ninja Forms Signature Contract Add-On 300+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #1 2 Sig GA4 Widget 50+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #2 3 Seekmodo Search — · 5.0★ (9) wp.org #18 15 too low 4 Personalize Login 600+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #6 2 too low 5 EIMSKIP 30+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #4 1 too high 6 GateLink Manager – Secure One‑Click Admin Login & WordPress SSO 60+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #5 1 too high 7 P PureCart — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #7 8 Signature Field For Contact Form 7 – CF7Sign 700+ · 3.3★ (3) wp.org #10 ↓1 2 too low 9 C Countdown Timer 900+ · 4.7★ (10) wp.org #24 ↓1 15 too low 10 Bitcoin and Lightning Payments for FluentCart — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #8 2 too high 11 Dagens Horoskop 10+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #23 ↓1 12 too low 12 Nimble Lead to Cash — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #9 ↑8 3 too high 13 Sign Documents with Crypto Pro — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #11 ↓1 2 too high 14 2328.io – Crypto Payment Gateway for WooCommerce — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #12 ↓1 2 too high 15 AI-Only Pages — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #13 ↓1 2 too high 16 Activator Toolkit for SOTA & POTA — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #14 2 too high 17 SignDocs Brasil — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #15 ↓2 2 too high 18 Dashi 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #16 ↓1 2 too high 19 Geoa – AI SEO & AEO on Autopilot 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 ↓1 2 too high 20 Vakanssi: Careers Page, Hiring & Applicant Tracking — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #19 1 too high 21 GateLink Client – Passwordless SSO & One‑Click Admin Access — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 ↓1 1 too high 22 R Resultat Finans Betallösning — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 ↓1 23 WIMPLE Contact Form — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #21 ↓1 2 too high 24 Homerunner 70+ · 2.0★ (1) wp.org #3 21 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.