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

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 “squad”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 15 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

StatsFC Squad Selector shows at wp.org #16 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 5 places. Its 10+ 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.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Squad Modules Lite – Free Divi 5 & Divi 4 Modules for Divi Builder 1K+ · 5.0★ (12) wp.org #1 2 AnWP Football Leagues 700+ · 4.9★ (14) wp.org #2 3 Gym Builder – Class Timetable & Booking for Gyms, Fitness & Yoga Studios 100+ · 5.0★ (10) wp.org #9 ↓1 6 too low 4 JoomSport – for Sports: Team & League, Football, Hockey & more 1K+ · 4.9★ (44) wp.org #18 ↓3 14 too low 5 Squad Payment Gateway 200+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #3 2 too high 6 PayLexer – Payment Integration Solution for WordPress (Stripe, PayPal, Paystack, and more) 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #5 ↑1 1 too high 7 Squad Post Grid – Divi 5 & Divi 4 Post Grid Module for Divi Builder 80+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #4 3 too high 8 Squad Form Styler – Contact Form 7, Gravity Forms, WPForms, and Fluent Forms 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #7 ↓2 1 too high 9 Squad Affiliate – Affiliate Program & Referral Plugin for WooCommerce and Divi — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #6 3 too high 10 Detailed Player Stats for SportsPress 100+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #19 ↓3 9 too low 11 Your SEO Squad — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #8 3 too high 12 AnWP Sports Leagues – Basketball, Ice Hockey, Handball, Rugby & More 100+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #20 ↓3 8 too low 13 Squadeno – Club Sports Manager 40+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #10 ↓3 3 too high 14 W Web Design Squad Theme Add ons 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #11 ↓2 3 too high 15 Football Studio – Soccer League, Tournament & Club Manager 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #12 ↓2 3 too high 16 Loka Pay — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #13 ↓2 3 too high 17 SportsPress for Baseball 800+ · 4.5★ (2) wp.org #22 ↓3 5 too low 18 SportStatsAPI Live Scores & League Tables — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #14 ↓2 4 too high 19 Futsal Studio – Futsal League, Tournament & Club Manager — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #15 ↓2 4 too high 20 Takt Site Features — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 3 too high 21 StatsFC Squad Selector 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #16 ↓2 5 too high 22 Ultrafan — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 ↓3 1 too high 23 VISUAL INSPECTOR BY CANVASFLIP 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 ↓3

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.