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← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “simple faqs”

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 “simple faqs”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 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

WPC Product FAQs for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #9 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 1K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.5★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Simple Link Directory – AI Powered places #11 on merit, 4.8★ from 121 reviews, but shows at wp.org #16. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Ultimate FAQ Accordion Plugin 30K+ · 4.6★ (439) wp.org #1 2 Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (587) wp.org #2 3 Contact Form 7 10M+ · 4.0★ (2186) wp.org #4 1 too low 4 TablePress – Tables in WordPress made easy 600K+ · 5.0★ (4625) wp.org #8 ↑2 4 too low 5 Easy Accordion – AI-Powered FAQ & Accordion Blocks, Product FAQ 70K+ · 4.9★ (358) wp.org #7 ↓1 2 too low 6 Seriously Simple Podcasting 20K+ · 4.7★ (330) wp.org #5 1 too high 7 Quick and Easy FAQs 10K+ · 4.6★ (36) wp.org #3 4 too high 8 Simple 301 Redirects by BetterLinks – Easy Redirect Manager 100K+ · 3.8★ (162) wp.org #6 ↑2 2 too high 9 BetterDocs – AI Documentation, Knowledge Base, MCP Server, Docs, Wikis, FAQ & Chatbot 30K+ · 4.8★ (515) wp.org #12 ↓1 3 too low 10 All in One SEO – AI SEO Plugin to Boost SEO Rankings & Traffic (Schema, Local SEO, Sitemap & SEO Insights) 2M+ · 4.7★ (5231) wp.org #11 ↑1 1 too low 11 Simple Link Directory – AI Powered 2K+ · 4.8★ (121) wp.org #16 ↑1 5 too low 12 Simple Blog Stats 4K+ · 4.9★ (38) wp.org #14 ↑1 2 too low 13 Echo Knowledge Base – Documentation, FAQs, Chat & Smart Search 10K+ · 4.9★ (124) wp.org #23 10 too low 14 Helpie FAQ — Accordion, Docs & Knowledge Base 8K+ · 4.5★ (80) wp.org #17 ↑1 3 too low 15 Simple Side Tab 10K+ · 4.8★ (22) wp.org #10 ↓1 5 too high 16 Very Simple Google Maps 3K+ · 4.5★ (17) wp.org #13 ↑1 3 too high 17 Simple Restrict 1K+ · 4.9★ (15) wp.org #20 ↑2 3 too low 18 Ultimate FAQ Solution 600+ · 4.9★ (9) wp.org #24 6 too low 19 Simple Points and Rewards for WooCommerce – Create a Loyalty Program 400+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #21 ↑3 2 too low 20 WPC Product FAQs for WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.5★ (2) wp.org #9 ↓2 11 too high 21 Simple SEO 400+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #18 ↑1 3 too high 22 Advanced FAQ Manager 2K+ · 3.8★ (4) wp.org #22 ↓1 23 W WP FAQ 100+ · 3.0★ (2) wp.org #15 ↑1 8 too high 24 Flexible FAQs – WordPress FAQ Plugin 40+ · 3.0★ (2) wp.org #19 ↑1 5 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.