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

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 “sla”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 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

Combidesk – Moneybird voor WooCommerce shows at wp.org #7 but places #16 on merit, a gap of 9 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.

merit plugin wp.org
1 SupportCandy – AI Customer Support Ticket System & Live Chatbot Agent 10K+ · 4.9★ (289) wp.org #1 ↑2 2 JetBackup – Backup, Restore & Migrate 200K+ · 4.5★ (1056) wp.org #2 ↓1 3 WP Activity Log 300K+ · 4.7★ (490) wp.org #3 ↓1 4 Customer Support Ticket System & Helpdesk 400+ · 4.3★ (27) wp.org #5 ↓1 1 too low 5 LiveAgent – Omnichannel Help Desk & Live Chat Software 400+ · 4.2★ (32) wp.org #6 1 too low 6 Boei – AI Chatbot, Live Chat & 50+ Channels 900+ · 5.0★ (30) wp.org #15 ↑1 9 too low 7 Gumlet – Image optimization with Resize, Compression, Lazy load, Caching & CDN delivery 400+ · 4.4★ (10) wp.org #8 1 too low 8 Text: AI chatbot, live chat & ticketing for customer service 100+ · 5.0★ (15) wp.org #16 ↑1 8 too low 9 ThriveDesk – Live Chat, AI Chatbot, Helpdesk & Customer Support Ticket System 100+ · 4.5★ (14) wp.org #13 ↑1 4 too low 10 ELEX WordPress HelpDesk & Customer Ticketing System 200+ · 3.9★ (7) wp.org #9 1 too high 11 NXT Cloud Chat – CRM, Inbox & OTP Login 30+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #11 ↑1 12 Kanbanz 2K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #4 ↑7 8 too high 13 Yctvn Media Offload for Cloudflare R2 200+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #17 ↑1 4 too low 14 Smart Support – Self-Hosted Helpdesk & Custom Support Ticket System with AI Agent Support 10+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #18 4 too low 15 Malcure Security Suite 200+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #14 ↑1 1 too high 16 Combidesk – Moneybird voor WooCommerce 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #7 9 too high 17 WHM Inquiry Button for WooCommerce 20+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #12 ↑1 5 too high 18 UVdesk Free Helpdesk 10+ · 3.7★ (3) wp.org #21 3 too low 19 Combidesk – SnelStart voor WooCommerce 100+ · 3.0★ (2) wp.org #10 9 too high 20 Combidesk – Exact Online voor WooCommerce 40+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #19 1 too high 21 Lucrativeit Support Ticket Plus – Help Desk & Customer Support with AI replies — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 1 too high 22 Combidesk – e-Boekhouden voor WooCommerce 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #24 2 too low 23 Polanger Ticket System for WooCommerce — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #23 24 AroksDS Submission Alerts for Contact Form 7 to Telegram 30+ · 5.0★ (1) 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.