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← Rankings

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

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

View User Metadata shows at wp.org #6 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 16 places. Its 1K+ 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

Admin Columns places #7 on merit, 4.9★ from 1652 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 Simple Membership 40K+ · 4.6★ (475) wp.org #1 ↑1 2 Simple History – Track, Log, and Audit WordPress Changes 300K+ · 4.9★ (491) wp.org #2 ↓1 3 S Simple Lightbox 100K+ · 4.3★ (239) wp.org #4 1 too low 4 Seriously Simple Podcasting 20K+ · 4.7★ (330) wp.org #5 1 too low 5 R Really Simple CSV Importer 40K+ · 4.9★ (107) wp.org #7 2 too low 6 Simple Image Sizes 60K+ · 4.6★ (91) wp.org #8 2 too low 7 Admin Columns 100K+ · 4.9★ (1652) wp.org #17 ↓2 10 too low 8 Social Preview and Open Graph Tags 50K+ · 4.6★ (122) wp.org #10 2 too low 9 Hide/Remove Metadata 20K+ · 3.6★ (14) wp.org #3 6 too high 10 bbPress 100K+ · 3.9★ (343) wp.org #11 1 too low 11 Media File Renamer: Rename Images & Files for SEO (AI-Powered) 40K+ · 4.6★ (447) wp.org #20 9 too low 12 Polylang 900K+ · 4.7★ (3004) wp.org #21 9 too low 13 Photo Gallery, Sliders, Proofing and Themes – NextGEN Gallery 300K+ · 4.3★ (4342) wp.org #18 5 too low 14 WP Recipe Maker 50K+ · 5.0★ (356) wp.org #19 ↑1 5 too low 15 Simple Download Counter 2K+ · 4.9★ (19) wp.org #9 6 too high 16 LukasApps CAPTCHA tools for Contact Form 7 100K+ · 4.1★ (48) wp.org #12 ↑1 4 too high 17 Stripe Payment Forms by WP Simple Pay – Accept Credit Card Payments + Subscriptions with Stripe 8K+ · 4.4★ (117) wp.org #23 ↑1 6 too low 18 SOOZ – AI for SEO – Bulk Generate Focus Keyphrases, Metadata, Alt Text (SEO Autopilot) 2K+ · 4.7★ (15) wp.org #15 ↑1 3 too high 19 Simple Ebook Viewer 400+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #14 ↓2 5 too high 20 Simple Location 300+ · 4.6★ (8) wp.org #13 ↑1 7 too high 21 Simple Export to Markdown 300+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #16 ↑1 5 too high 22 View User Metadata 1K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #6 16 too high 23 Simple Logo Carousel 100+ · 4.0★ (4) wp.org #24 1 too low 24 Simple Link Embed 40+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #22 ↑1 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.