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← Rankings

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

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 “steam”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 of the top 20. 2 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

Manager for Steam shows at wp.org #2 but places #14 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 30+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Social Login places #10 on merit, 4.3★ from 366 reviews, but shows at wp.org #23. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Social Media Share Buttons & Social Sharing Icons 100K+ · 4.8★ (5333) wp.org #4 3 too low 2 Nextend Social Login and Register 200K+ · 4.9★ (446) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 Advanced Steam Widget 70+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #1 2 too high 4 WP-Appbox 2K+ · 4.5★ (63) wp.org #5 1 too low 5 OAuth Single Sign On – SSO (OAuth Client) 6K+ · 4.9★ (327) wp.org #11 ↓2 6 too low 6 Social Login, Social Sharing by miniOrange 10K+ · 4.6★ (356) wp.org #10 ↑1 4 too low 7 Superb Addons: Blocks, Patterns, Pre-built Pages, Sliders, Popups, Free Forms, Animations & More 80K+ · 4.9★ (23) wp.org #9 ↓1 2 too low 8 Team Members – A WordPress Team Plugin with Gallery, Grid, Carousel, Slider, Table, List, and More 2K+ · 4.7★ (91) wp.org #14 6 too low 9 GS Books Showcase – Display Books in Grid, Slider & More | Library for WordPress 500+ · 4.8★ (42) wp.org #16 ↑1 7 too low 10 Social Login 4K+ · 4.3★ (366) wp.org #23 13 too low 11 Solid Testimonials – Testimonial Slider, Video Testimonials & Customer Reviews 1K+ · 4.3★ (35) wp.org #13 ↓1 2 too low 12 Social Media Widget 30K+ · 3.9★ (84) wp.org #22 10 too low 13 Superb Social Media Share Buttons and Follow Buttons 6K+ · 4.4★ (11) wp.org #12 ↑1 1 too high 14 Manager for Steam 30+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #2 12 too high 15 Socicon 200+ · 4.0★ (4) wp.org #6 9 too high 16 SweepWidget – Giveaway, Contest, Sweepstakes, Competition & Photo Contest Plugin 100+ · 4.3★ (14) wp.org #18 ↑1 2 too low 17 Candy Social Widget 200+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #7 10 too high 18 IssueM 600+ · 4.1★ (13) wp.org #15 ↑1 3 too high 19 Gaming-Plus Game Server Status 20+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #8 ↑2 11 too high 20 Terovania Game Marketing Widgets for Steam® 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 ↓2 3 too high 21 Payment Method Discounts 300+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #19 ↓1 2 too high 22 LoginOne Random Game Picker for Steam — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 2 too high 23 Yova Game Cards for ludoteca.dev — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #24 1 too low 24 Bookingor – Booking System and Appointment Booking Calendar, Meeting Scheduling & WooCommerce 60+ · 5.0★ (1) 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.