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

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 “similar”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 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

Similar Posts Ontology shows at wp.org #7 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 15 places. Its 50+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Anti-Spam, Spam FireWall by CleanTalk places #10 on merit, 4.8★ from 3221 reviews, but shows at wp.org #14. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

WooCommerce 7M+ · 4.5★ (4833) throws errorsnot PHP-currentheavy footprint wp.org #1 2

WP 404 Auto Redirect to Similar Post 30K+ · 4.9★ (113) wp.org #2 3

Custom Permalinks 100K+ · 4.1★ (116) wp.org #3 ↑1 4

Enable Media Replace 600K+ · 4.4★ (302) wp.org #4 ↑1 5

Advanced Editor Tools 1M+ · 4.5★ (354) wp.org #5 ↓2 1 too high 7

Menu Icons by Themeisle – Add Icons to Navigation Menus 100K+ · 4.9★ (851) wp.org #10 ↑1 3 too low 8

Redirection 100K+ · 5.0★ (419) wp.org #11 ↑2 3 too low 9

Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1281) wp.org #12 ↓4 3 too low 10

Anti-Spam, Spam FireWall by CleanTalk 200K+ · 4.8★ (3221) wp.org #14 4 too low 11

Independent Analytics – WordPress Analytics Plugin 100K+ · 4.8★ (167) wp.org #15 ↑3 3 too low 13

Burst Statistics – Simple WordPress Analytics (Google Analytics Alternative) 200K+ · 4.9★ (186) wp.org #17 4 too low 14

Cyr-To-Lat 300K+ · 4.7★ (98) wp.org #13 ↓1 1 too high 15

HivePress – Business Directory, Listings & Classified Ads Plugin 10K+ · 4.9★ (222) wp.org #20 5 too low 16

CMP – Coming Soon & Maintenance Plugin by NiteoThemes 200K+ · 4.7★ (326) wp.org #24 8 too low 17

Flying Pages: Preload Pages for Faster Navigation & Improved User Experience 20K+ · 4.9★ (79) wp.org #19 ↓4 2 too low 18

Meta Field Block – Display Custom Fields for ACF, Meta Box and More 10K+ · 5.0★ (57) not PHP-current wp.org #16 ↑6 2 too high 19

Kirki – Freeform Page Builder, Website Builder & Customizer 400K+ · 4.5★ (81) wp.org #18 ↓4 1 too high 20

Archive Content with Archived Post Status 5K+ · 4.9★ (36) wp.org #23 3 too low 21

Widget Context 30K+ · 4.5★ (98) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #21 22

WCBoost – Products Compare 30K+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews wp.org #8 ↑2 15 too high 24

Pinterest for WooCommerce 200K+ · 2.3★ (68) throws errorsnot PHP-current 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.