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

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

Teaser Post Title shows at wp.org #6 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 10+ 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

SiteOrigin Widgets Bundle places #12 on merit, 4.9★ from 134 reviews, but shows at wp.org #19. 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 2 Restricted Site Access 10K+ · 4.8★ (62) wp.org #2 3 WP-Members Membership Plugin 50K+ · 4.6★ (272) wp.org #3 4 PublishPress Permissions: Access Control, Content Permissions, User Access 10K+ · 4.3★ (66) wp.org #4 ↑1 5 Page Builder by SiteOrigin 400K+ · 4.8★ (1005) wp.org #8 ↑1 3 too low 6 Read More Without Refresh 20K+ · 4.2★ (55) wp.org #5 ↓1 1 too high 7 All-in-One Video Gallery – Video Player & Galleries for YouTube, Vimeo & Self-Hosted Videos 20K+ · 4.8★ (136) wp.org #9 ↓1 2 too low 8 MasterStudy LMS WordPress Plugin – for Online Courses and Education 10K+ · 4.5★ (487) wp.org #10 ↑1 2 too low 9 SiteOrigin CSS 100K+ · 4.9★ (153) wp.org #11 ↑2 2 too low 10 Restrict User Access – Ultimate Membership & Content Protection 10K+ · 4.3★ (94) wp.org #7 3 too high 11 AnWP Post Grid and Post Carousel Slider for Elementor 20K+ · 4.9★ (84) wp.org #16 5 too low 12 SiteOrigin Widgets Bundle 400K+ · 4.9★ (134) wp.org #19 ↓1 7 too low 13 FiboSearch – Ajax Search for WooCommerce 100K+ · 4.9★ (1815) wp.org #22 9 too low 14 Depicter — Popup & Slider Builder 70K+ · 4.6★ (235) wp.org #15 ↑1 1 too low 15 Knowledge Base documentation & wiki plugin – BasePress Docs 2K+ · 4.8★ (75) wp.org #24 9 too low 16 Open Graph 10K+ · 4.3★ (13) wp.org #17 1 too low 17 WPEPP – Essential Security, Password Protect & Login Page Customizer 3K+ · 4.1★ (19) wp.org #18 ↑1 1 too low 18 Build Mode – Maintenance Mode & Coming Soon Page 200+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #12 6 too high 19 Teaser Post Title 10+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #6 13 too high 20 4else Events – Event Teaser & Booking Connector 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #14 ↑1 6 too high 21 Forward: Simple Mailchimp Form 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 1 too high 22 Gallery Showcase for WordPress 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #13 ↑1 9 too high 23 ContentGate – Content Restriction & Access Control by Login Status & User Role 40+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #21 2 too high 24 VSW Bogo Offer On Category 40+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #23 1 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.