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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “smart id”

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 “smart id”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 of the top 20. 6 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

WPGraphQL Smart Cache shows at wp.org #9 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 5K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 4 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More places #7 on merit, 4.8★ from 14387 reviews, but shows at wp.org #15. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Smart Slider 3 800K+ · 4.9★ (1125) wp.org #1 2 WPC Smart Quick View for WooCommerce 80K+ · 4.9★ (31) wp.org #2 3 Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7519) wp.org #8 ↓3 5 too low 4 Smart User Slug Hider 2K+ · 4.9★ (55) wp.org #5 1 too low 5 WPC Smart Wishlist for WooCommerce 100K+ · 4.8★ (34) wp.org #3 2 too high 6 LiteSpeed Cache 7M+ · 4.8★ (2778) wp.org #11 ↓2 5 too low 7 WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More 5M+ · 4.8★ (14387) wp.org #15 ↓1 8 too low 8 WPC Smart Compare for WooCommerce 70K+ · 4.5★ (44) wp.org #4 4 too high 9 PixelYourSite – Your smart PIXEL (TAG) & API Manager 400K+ · 4.3★ (281) wp.org #10 ↑3 1 too low 10 Smart Manager – Bulk Edit for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.4★ (288) wp.org #12 ↓2 2 too low 11 Smart Custom 404 Error Page 100K+ · 4.9★ (1197) wp.org #18 7 too low 12 S Smart Custom Fields 50K+ · 4.9★ (21) wp.org #6 ↑1 6 too high 13 Sokol: Smart WooCommerce Search 5K+ · 4.4★ (24) wp.org #7 ↑1 6 too high 14 Smart Variations Images & Swatches for WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.7★ (142) wp.org #13 ↑7 1 too high 15 Custom Product Tabs for WooCommerce & WordPress Tabs Builder – Smart Tabs 10K+ · 4.9★ (134) wp.org #24 ↓12 9 too low 16 Smart Search & Product Filter for WooCommerce – Searchanise 900+ · 4.4★ (43) wp.org #17 ↓1 1 too low 17 NGG Smart Image Search 400+ · 4.9★ (13) wp.org #16 ↓1 1 too high 18 WPGraphQL Smart Cache 5K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #9 ↓3 9 too high 19 Smart Send 300+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #19 20 WP Smart Import : Import any XML File to WordPress 900+ · 3.9★ (12) wp.org #23 3 too low 21 Mobile Smart App Banner 300+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #14 ↑3 7 too high 22 SmartSMTP 2K+ · 4.7★ (3) wp.org #22 ↑2 23 eID Easy 90+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #21 ↑1 2 too high 24 Viva.com | Smart Checkout for WooCommerce 7K+ · 2.3★ (7) wp.org #20 ↑1 4 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.