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

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 “spellcheck”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 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

Tansa shows at wp.org #3 but places #8 on merit, a gap of 5 places. Its 100+ installs carry it up the search order; its 0.0★ average from 0 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Autoptimize places #2 on merit, 4.7★ from 1428 reviews, but shows at wp.org #7. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

WP Spell Check 2K+ · 2.9★ (39) throws errorsnot PHP-currentheavy footprint low rating, top placement wp.org #1 2

Autoptimize 800K+ · 4.7★ (1428) wp.org #7 5 too low 3

ReWord 20+ · 4.8★ (6) thin reviews wp.org #2 1 too high 4

Just Writing 200+ · 5.0★ (14) thin reviewsstale but ranked wp.org #4 5

Simple CSS 80K+ · 4.9★ (60) wp.org #8 3 too low 6

Editoria11y Accessibility Checker 1K+ · 5.0★ (5) thin reviews wp.org #9 ↑1 3 too low 7

Form Block 300+ · 5.0★ (5) thin reviews wp.org #10 ↓1 3 too low 8

Tansa 100+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviewslow rating, top placement wp.org #3 5 too high 9 T TinyMCE Spellcheck 2K+ · 3.8★ (12) closure risk thin reviews wp.org #16 7 too low 10

mazdek AI — · 0.0★ (0) thin reviewslow rating, top placement wp.org #5 5 too high 11

Prozen AI Proofreader — · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews wp.org #6 5 too high 12

OpenSearchServer Search 10+ · 4.2★ (5) closure risk thin reviews wp.org #21 9 too low 13

ModernQuery — · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviews wp.org #11 2 too high 14

Media Guide-O-Matic Plugin — · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviews wp.org #13 1 too high 15

Opensolr Search — · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews wp.org #14 1 too high 16 L Lazy load video players 10+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews wp.org #15 1 too high 17

WriteText.ai 70+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews wp.org #12 5 too high 18

Neykane Viral List Posts — · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviews wp.org #18 19

Savodxon — · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviews wp.org #17 2 too high 20 A After The Deadline For BuddyPress 10+ · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviews wp.org #20 21

Imlo 10+ · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviews wp.org #19 2 too high 22 W WP-Spellcheck 60+ · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviews wp.org #22 23 G GöSPess 10+ · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviews wp.org #23

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.