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← Rankings

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

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 share”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 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

Easy Share Solution For WordPress shows at wp.org #15 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 900+ 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

Social Sharing Plugin – Sassy Social Share places #11 on merit, 4.8★ from 523 reviews, but shows at wp.org #21. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) 3M+ · 4.9★ (8869) wp.org #1 2 Simple Share Buttons Adder 40K+ · 4.3★ (627) wp.org #2 3 Simple History – Track, Log, and Audit WordPress Changes 300K+ · 4.9★ (491) wp.org #4 1 too low 4 Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (587) wp.org #5 1 too low 5 Genesis Simple Share 10K+ · 4.4★ (33) wp.org #3 2 too high 6 Burst Statistics – Simple WordPress Analytics (Google Analytics Alternative) 200K+ · 4.9★ (186) wp.org #7 ↑1 1 too low 7 Simple Social Media Share Buttons – Social Sharing for Everyone 20K+ · 4.8★ (194) wp.org #6 1 too high 8 Seriously Simple Podcasting 20K+ · 4.7★ (330) wp.org #8 ↓1 9 WP Statistics – Simple, privacy-friendly Google Analytics alternative 500K+ · 4.1★ (759) wp.org #13 ↑2 4 too low 10 Simple 301 Redirects by BetterLinks – Easy Redirect Manager 100K+ · 3.8★ (162) wp.org #11 ↑1 1 too low 11 Social Sharing Plugin – Sassy Social Share 100K+ · 4.8★ (523) wp.org #21 ↓1 10 too low 12 Super Web Share – Native Social Sharing Button 2K+ · 4.9★ (29) wp.org #10 2 too high 13 WP Socializer – Simple & Easy Social Media Share Icons 10K+ · 4.5★ (128) wp.org #18 5 too low 14 Simple Link Directory – AI Powered 2K+ · 4.8★ (121) wp.org #20 ↑1 6 too low 15 Social Share for WooCommerce 3K+ · 5.0★ (12) wp.org #9 6 too high 16 Share Buttons & AI-powered Summaries 1K+ · 5.0★ (16) wp.org #12 ↑1 4 too high 17 Share This Image 1K+ · 4.1★ (22) wp.org #14 3 too high 18 WooCommerce PayPal Payments 800K+ · 2.9★ (583) wp.org #16 2 too high 19 WP Simple HTML Sitemap 3K+ · 4.9★ (10) wp.org #24 5 too low 20 Simple Points and Rewards for WooCommerce – Create a Loyalty Program 400+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #23 3 too low 21 WPC Share Cart for WooCommerce 1K+ · 3.2★ (11) wp.org #19 2 too high 22 Social Share Block – Help Visitors Spread Your Content Everywhere 2K+ · 4.3★ (3) wp.org #17 5 too high 23 Easy Share Solution For WordPress 900+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #15 ↑1 8 too high 24 Share Cart for WooCommerce 300+ · 5.0★ (2) 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.