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

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 “soliloquy”, 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

Storefront Add Slider shows at wp.org #15 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 6 places. Its 800+ installs carry it up the search order; its 1.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Media Cleaner: Delete Unused Images & Clean Your Media Library places #5 on merit, 4.6★ from 779 reviews, but shows at wp.org #9. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

Slider by Soliloquy – Responsive Image Slider for WordPress 30K+ · 4.7★ (1025) wp.org #1 2

Dark Mode – Improve Accessibility with AI Powered Dark Theme 20K+ · 4.5★ (391) wp.org #3 1 too low 3

WP Lightbox 2 20K+ · 4.4★ (89) wp.org #2 1 too high 4

Slider, Gallery, and Carousel by MetaSlider – Image Slider, Video Slider 500K+ · 4.6★ (742) wp.org #7 3 too low 5

Media Cleaner: Delete Unused Images & Clean Your Media Library 90K+ · 4.6★ (779) wp.org #9 4 too low 6

Broadcast 1K+ · 4.9★ (214) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #5 1 too high 7

Darkify – Dark Mode & Night Mode for Website & Admin (Dark Theme Included) 1K+ · 4.7★ (27) wp.org #4 3 too high 8

Content Blocks (Custom Post Widget) 10K+ · 4.9★ (80) wp.org #11 3 too low 9

LazyLoad Plugin – Lazy Load Images, Videos, and Iframes 100K+ · 4.2★ (139) wp.org #10 1 too low 10

User Access Manager 10K+ · 4.4★ (112) wp.org #12 2 too low 11

Mediaspy – Detect & Clean Unused Media 70+ · 3.7★ (3) thin reviews wp.org #6 5 too high 12

Mixer Dynamic Cursor — · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews wp.org #8 4 too high 13 D Disable All WP Updates 300+ · 5.0★ (1) closure risk thin reviews wp.org #13 14

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.