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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “spell check”

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 “spell check”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 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

WooCommerce Accommodation Bookings shows at wp.org #12 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 1K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 2.1★ average from 16 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

WC Fields Factory places #9 on merit, 4.3★ from 168 reviews, but shows at wp.org #14. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Floating Chat Widget: Contact Chat Icons, Telegram Chat, Line Messenger, WeChat, Email, SMS, Call Button – Chaty 300K+ · 5.0★ (1240) wp.org #4 3 too low 2 404 Solution 10K+ · 4.9★ (44) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 WP Spell Check 2K+ · 2.9★ (39) wp.org #1 2 too high 4 Jetpack – WP Security, Backup, Speed, & Growth 3M+ · 3.7★ (2407) wp.org #6 2 too low 5 PublishPress Checklists: Pre-Publishing Approval Checklist – Validate Post Requirements 3K+ · 5.0★ (24) wp.org #5 6 WProofreader spell & grammar check plugin for WordPress 4K+ · 3.7★ (15) wp.org #2 4 too high 7 WPVibe – WordPress MCP Server. Connect Claude, ChatGPT & Any AI Agent via MCP 40K+ · 5.0★ (68) wp.org #10 3 too low 8 Premmerce 400+ · 4.7★ (32) wp.org #9 1 too low 9 WC Fields Factory 7K+ · 4.3★ (168) wp.org #14 5 too low 10 Just Writing 200+ · 5.0★ (14) wp.org #8 2 too high 11 AI Translation For TranslatePress 10K+ · 4.8★ (69) wp.org #11 12 Superb Addons: Blocks, Patterns, Pre-built Pages, Sliders, Popups, Free Forms, Animations & More 80K+ · 4.9★ (23) wp.org #20 ↑1 8 too low 13 Premmerce Product Search for WooCommerce 900+ · 3.9★ (7) wp.org #7 6 too high 14 Social LikeBox & Feed 10K+ · 3.3★ (47) wp.org #22 ↑1 8 too low 15 Autocomplete Google Address 2K+ · 4.0★ (25) wp.org #23 ↑1 8 too low 16 bbPress Login Register Links On Forum Topic Pages 600+ · 4.1★ (8) wp.org #19 ↑1 3 too low 17 Qalam Arabic AI Writing Assistant Plugin | Qalam 20+ · 4.0★ (4) wp.org #17 ↓1 18 Time Machine 40+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #21 ↑1 3 too low 19 Namoman Korean Speller — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #13 6 too high 20 RankReady – AI SEO, Schema, llms.txt, AEO and GEO for ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity 400+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #24 4 too low 21 SEOMedic Simple Grammar Checker — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #15 6 too high 22 Spellmatic — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #16 ↑1 6 too high 23 MarkDown Block — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #18 ↑1 5 too high 24 WooCommerce Accommodation Bookings 1K+ · 2.1★ (16) wp.org #12 12 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.