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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “sketch”

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 “sketch”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 of the top 20.

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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.

Ranked above its merit

CI HUB Connector shows at wp.org #9 but places #15 on merit, a gap of 6 places. Its 100+ 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 Media Widget places #5 on merit, 3.9★ from 84 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 Interactive Image Map Plugin – Draw Attention 20K+ · 4.9★ (114) wp.org #1 2 Robo Gallery – Photo & Image Slider 40K+ · 4.3★ (406) wp.org #2 3 Live Composer – Free WordPress Website Builder 10K+ · 4.4★ (212) wp.org #6 ↓1 3 too low 4 Ray Enterprise Translation 7K+ · 2.6★ (48) wp.org #4 5 Social Media Widget 30K+ · 3.9★ (84) wp.org #17 ↓2 12 too low 6 Group Chat & Video Chat by AtomChat 200+ · 4.6★ (8) wp.org #8 ↓1 2 too low 7 AAM Protected Media Files 500+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #3 4 too high 8 I don't like Spam! 200+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #7 ↓1 1 too high 9 OXP Breaking News Ticker 100+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #12 ↓2 3 too low 10 Thumbnail Editor 600+ · 3.0★ (5) wp.org #5 ↓1 5 too high 11 Sign Customiser – Custom Sign Designer for WooCommerce 20+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #14 3 too low 12 Ziteboard Online Whiteboard 100+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #15 ↓2 3 too low 13 AI Featured Image 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #11 ↑1 2 too high 14 Custom Skin Loop Build Using Elementor (HTML) 10+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #13 ↓2 1 too high 15 CI HUB Connector 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #9 ↓1 6 too high 16 PurePen AI – AI Content Generator with Claude, GPT-4o, Gemini & More 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #10 ↓1 6 too high 17 SketchValley Illustrations — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #16 ↓2 1 too high 18 S SuryaCreates Pencil Pointer — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #18 ↓2 19 AutoArticle Content Generator 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 ↓3 1 too low 20 T Toytown Map — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 ↓3 1 too low 21 Iconall — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 ↓3 1 too low 22 Block Minimap — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 ↓2 1 too low 23 Ideom — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #24 ↓2 1 too low 24 Honest Analytics — · 5.0★ (1) 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.