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

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 register”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 6 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

SimplyBook.me – Booking and reservations calendar shows at wp.org #14 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 30K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 1.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Anti-Spam, Spam FireWall by CleanTalk places #7 on merit, 4.8★ from 3220 reviews, but shows at wp.org #11. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Simple CAPTCHA with Cloudflare Turnstile 200K+ · 4.7★ (262) wp.org #1 2 Nextend Social Login and Register 200K+ · 4.9★ (446) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 Simple Membership 40K+ · 4.6★ (475) wp.org #2 1 too high 4 Wp Social Login and Register Social Counter 70K+ · 4.6★ (67) wp.org #4 5 Simple Shopping Cart 10K+ · 4.6★ (215) wp.org #6 ↑2 1 too low 6 Simple Image Sizes 60K+ · 4.6★ (91) wp.org #5 1 too high 7 Anti-Spam, Spam FireWall by CleanTalk 200K+ · 4.8★ (3220) wp.org #11 4 too low 8 Simple Page Ordering 100K+ · 4.7★ (131) wp.org #7 ↓1 1 too high 9 WP Statistics – Simple, privacy-friendly Google Analytics alternative 500K+ · 4.1★ (759) wp.org #9 10 Pie Register – User Registration, Profiles & Content Restriction 1K+ · 4.2★ (222) wp.org #8 ↓1 2 too high 11 Simple Revisions Delete 10K+ · 4.9★ (50) wp.org #10 1 too high 12 Simple JWT Login – Allows you to use JWT on REST endpoints. 4K+ · 5.0★ (47) wp.org #12 13 PublishPress Taxonomies – Tag, Category, and Taxonomy Manager – Autotagger Automatically Add Terms 40K+ · 4.6★ (195) wp.org #24 11 too low 14 Simple Shortcode for Google Maps 3K+ · 4.6★ (46) wp.org #20 ↓1 6 too low 15 Metricool – Social media and site statistics 90K+ · 4.4★ (23) wp.org #16 ↑4 1 too low 16 Really Simple Featured Video for Posts, Pages & WooCommerce Products 4K+ · 4.0★ (34) wp.org #23 ↓2 7 too low 17 Genesis Simple Menus 2K+ · 4.8★ (11) wp.org #19 ↓2 2 too low 18 WP Register Profile With Shortcode 300+ · 3.5★ (13) wp.org #15 3 too high 19 Simple Blog Card 3K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #13 6 too high 20 Simple Site Map Page 6K+ · 4.3★ (6) wp.org #18 2 too high 21 Simple Points and Rewards for WooCommerce – Create a Loyalty Program 400+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #22 ↑1 1 too low 22 JAY Login & Register 100+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #17 ↓1 5 too high 23 WP Consent API 200K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #21 ↑1 2 too high 24 SimplyBook.me – Booking and reservations calendar 30K+ · 1.0★ (1) wp.org #14 10 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.