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

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 “speaker”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 of the top 20. 5 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

Speaker Lite shows at wp.org #1 but places #16 on merit, a gap of 15 places. Its 30+ installs carry it up the search order; its 2.3★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

AudioIgniter Music Player places #10 on merit, 4.6★ from 64 reviews, but shows at wp.org #20. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Eventin – Events Calendar, Tickets, Registration, Booking & WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.7★ (413) wp.org #2 1 too low 2 Events Widgets For Elementor And The Events Calendar 10K+ · 4.5★ (108) wp.org #4 ↑6 2 too low 3 Event Single Page Builder For The Events Calendar 6K+ · 4.8★ (81) wp.org #5 ↓1 2 too low 4 EventON – Events Calendar 6K+ · 4.1★ (44) wp.org #6 ↓1 2 too low 5 Advanced Sermons 1K+ · 4.7★ (22) wp.org #10 ↑1 5 too low 6 Event Countdown for The Events Calendar 3K+ · 4.6★ (48) wp.org #9 3 too low 7 Seriously Simple Speakers 1K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #3 4 too high 8 Events Shortcodes For The Events Calendar 10K+ · 4.9★ (214) wp.org #16 ↓4 8 too low 9 Easy Video Player 20K+ · 4.2★ (57) wp.org #15 ↑1 6 too low 10 AudioIgniter Music Player 10K+ · 4.6★ (64) wp.org #20 10 too low 11 EventPrime – Events Calendar, Bookings, Tickets & AI 7K+ · 4.4★ (85) wp.org #13 ↓5 2 too low 12 Responsive Team Members Showcase, Team Grid, Team Slider, and Staff List – Smart Team (formerly WP Team) 5K+ · 4.7★ (92) wp.org #22 10 too low 13 Sugar Calendar – Events Calendar, Event Tickets, and Events Management Platform 10K+ · 4.5★ (24) wp.org #11 ↑2 2 too high 14 Event Tickets with Ticket Scanner 1K+ · 4.8★ (24) wp.org #12 ↑2 2 too high 15 Preferred Languages 3K+ · 5.0★ (18) wp.org #17 2 too low 16 Speaker Lite 30+ · 2.3★ (3) wp.org #1 15 too high 17 Event Monster – Event Manager, Event Booking, Event Ticket & Registration 600+ · 4.8★ (18) wp.org #19 2 too low 18 WP-Yomigana 2K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #7 ↓1 11 too high 19 Events Search & Filter Bar for The Events Calendar 3K+ · 4.8★ (29) wp.org #23 4 too low 20 Gravatar Enhanced – Avatars, Profiles, and Privacy 100K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #8 ↓1 12 too high 21 Events Calendar Modules for Divi 2K+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #14 ↑1 7 too high 22 Team Showcase – Responsive Team Members Grid, Slider & Carousel Plugin 2K+ · 3.4★ (24) wp.org #18 4 too high 23 Mattytap Sermons 60+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #24 1 too low 24 Visual Bible Verse of the Day Widget 1K+ · 4.0★ (3) wp.org #21 3 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.