Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

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

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 “stackoverflow”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 of the top 20. 10 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

CM Header and Footer – Add custom scripts and styles to your header and footer with ease shows at wp.org #4 but places #11 on merit, a gap of 7 places. Its 1K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

CM Tooltip Glossary places #6 on merit, 4.3★ from 157 reviews, but shows at wp.org #11. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 WP Socializer – Simple & Easy Social Media Share Icons 10K+ · 4.5★ (128) wp.org #3 2 too low 2 WPZOOM Connect: Social Icons Widget & Block, Share Buttons & Click to Chat 90K+ · 4.9★ (144) wp.org #6 ↓2 4 too low 3 Makeiteasy Slider 1K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #1 2 too high 4 CM Search And Replace – Optimize content edits with a powerful search and replace tool 2K+ · 4.2★ (15) wp.org #2 2 too high 5 Social Login, Social Sharing by miniOrange 10K+ · 4.6★ (356) wp.org #9 4 too low 6 CM Tooltip Glossary 7K+ · 4.3★ (157) wp.org #11 5 too low 7 CM Answers – Discussion Forum Plugin for WordPress Q&A 300+ · 3.8★ (86) wp.org #7 8 CM E-Mail Blacklist – Simple email filtering for safer registration 800+ · 4.5★ (8) wp.org #5 ↑1 3 too high 9 CM Download Manager – Organize, Protect & Share Files in WordPress 100+ · 3.9★ (43) wp.org #22 13 too low 10 CM Footnotes – Boost your content’s credibility with footnotes, citations, and bibliography 100+ · 4.2★ (6) wp.org #8 2 too high 11 CM Header and Footer – Add custom scripts and styles to your header and footer with ease 1K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #4 ↑1 7 too high 12 CM Custom Reports – Flexible reporting to track what matters most 100+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #10 2 too high 13 CM Business Directory – Optimise and showcase local business 30+ · 3.9★ (11) wp.org #15 2 too low 14 CM Ad Changer – A simple tool to control and optimize your site’s banners 100+ · 3.1★ (15) wp.org #14 15 Learning Management System (LMS) Chat Application 70+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #23 8 too low 16 CM Table Of Contents – Clear navigation for better content discovery 100+ · 3.3★ (9) wp.org #12 4 too high 17 CM Registration – Tailored tool for seamless login and invitation-based registrations 30+ · 3.8★ (8) wp.org #16 ↑4 1 too high 18 WDV About Me Widget 800+ · 4.5★ (2) wp.org #20 ↓4 2 too low 19 CM Curated List Manager – Effortless tool for link management 70+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #13 6 too high 20 CM Video Lessons Manager – Simplify video lessons management for better education 30+ · 4.0★ (4) wp.org #17 3 too high 21 CM FAQ – Simplify support with an intuitive FAQ management tool 10+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #21 22 Social Post Embed 500+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #24 2 too low 23 CM Product Recommendation Widget 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #19 ↓1 4 too high 24 CM Map Locations – Visualize and share your locations in a few clicks 70+ · 2.5★ (4) wp.org #18 ↑1 6 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.