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

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 “spatial”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 7 of the top 20. 3 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

AllTerrain Forms – Survey Builder, Quiz Builder & Contact Form shows at wp.org #8 but places #17 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 10+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

WP Go Maps – Google Map, OpenStreetMap, Leaflet Map places #3 on merit, 4.8★ from 3055 reviews, but shows at wp.org #16. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 RPB Chessboard 1K+ · 4.8★ (20) wp.org #1 2 Mapster WP Maps 3K+ · 4.9★ (54) wp.org #2 3 WP Go Maps – Google Map, OpenStreetMap, Leaflet Map 300K+ · 4.8★ (3055) wp.org #16 ↓2 13 too low 4 Geo2 Maps Add-on for NextGEN Gallery 70+ · 3.3★ (12) wp.org #3 1 too high 5 PicPoints – Interactive Image Map & Hotspot Builder 70+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #4 ↑1 1 too high 6 Croquet Metaverse Web Showcase 40+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #6 7 AssistKit – Site Optimizer Toolkit 60+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #7 8 WordPress Store Locator AI powered – Elementor – Fast loading – Local SEO — · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #12 4 too low 9 OrbitLens360 — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #9 10 WP Trip Summary 20+ · 4.5★ (4) wp.org #17 ↓1 7 too low 11 REES – Real Estate for Woo 60+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #5 ↓1 6 too high 12 Baba 3D Gallery for WooCommerce — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #10 2 too high 13 ClipToCart – Shoppable Video, Product Video Slider & Story Bubbles for WooCommerce — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #11 2 too high 14 Tyralix WebAR — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #13 1 too high 15 Digiter Migration Lite — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #14 1 too high 16 Matcha Gallery – AI Photo Wall, Masonry & Portfolio Studio — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #15 1 too high 17 AllTerrain Forms – Survey Builder, Quiz Builder & Contact Form 10+ · 4.0★ (2) wp.org #8 9 too high 18 Asuka Product Designer — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #18 ↓1 19 Bawbab Interactive Maps — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 ↓1 2 too low 20 GlocalSaino Layer Map Viewer — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 ↓1 2 too low 21 Odysseo Core — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 ↓1 2 too low 22 Solar Energy Simulator 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #19 ↓1 3 too high 23 WP Spatial Capabilities Check 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #24 ↓1 1 too low 24 Three Object Viewer 20+ · 0.0★ (0) 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.