wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “sorting tags”

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 “sorting tags”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 4 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

Essential Content Types shows at wp.org #15 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 20K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.7★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

merit plugin signals wp.org

Code Snippets 1M+ · 4.7★ (510) not PHP-current wp.org #1 2

Post Types Order 600K+ · 4.5★ (296) wp.org #2 3

Photo Gallery, Sliders, Proofing and Themes – NextGEN Gallery 300K+ · 4.3★ (4342) not PHP-currentheavy footprint wp.org #3 4

Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (587) wp.org #4 5

Premium Addons for Elementor – AI-Ready Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates 600K+ · 4.9★ (1680) wp.org #8 3 too low 6

PublishPress Tag Groups: Stylish Displays For Your Tags and Categories 3K+ · 4.8★ (57) wp.org #5 1 too high 7

Filter Everything — WordPress & WooCommerce Filters 50K+ · 4.6★ (154) wp.org #7 8

Product Filter for WooCommerce by WBW 50K+ · 4.8★ (325) wp.org #9 1 too low 9

SureRank SEO – Meta Tags, Social Preview, XML Sitemap, Schema & Open Graph 300K+ · 4.8★ (51) wp.org #6 3 too high 10

Media Library Assistant 70K+ · 4.8★ (202) wp.org #10 11

FooGallery Photo Gallery : Image, Video & Masonry Galleries 100K+ · 4.8★ (995) not PHP-current wp.org #12 1 too low 12

Royal Addons for Elementor – Addons and Templates Kit for Elementor 600K+ · 4.8★ (612) wp.org #14 1 too low 14

Business Directory Plugin – Easy Listing & Member Directories for WordPress 10K+ · 4.6★ (504) wp.org #18 4 too low 15

Comments – wpDiscuz 60K+ · 4.7★ (581) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #13 2 too high 16

Simple Sitemap – Responsive HTML Sitemap for WordPress 60K+ · 3.9★ (72) wp.org #17 1 too low 17

Table Sorter 5K+ · 4.8★ (29) wp.org #16 1 too high 18

Custom Permalinks 100K+ · 4.1★ (116) wp.org #23 5 too low 19

Product Bundle Builder for WooCommerce 6K+ · 4.8★ (61) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #19 20

Rearrange Products for WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.6★ (58) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #20 21

Filter Gallery 3K+ · 4.6★ (22) thin reviews wp.org #21 22

Posts Table with Search & Sort 3K+ · 4.6★ (19) thin reviews wp.org #24 2 too low 23

Dynamic AJAX Product Filters for WooCommerce 1K+ · 5.0★ (11) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #22 1 too high 24

Essential Content Types 20K+ · 3.7★ (3) thin reviews wp.org #15 9 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.