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

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 “stress”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 6 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

Healomax Stress Assessment Plugin shows at wp.org #13 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 9 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.

Buried gem

GeoDirectory – WP Business Directory Plugin and Classified Listings Directory places #6 on merit, 4.8★ from 716 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 Duplicator – Backups & Migration Plugin – Cloud Backups, Scheduled Backups, & More 1M+ · 4.9★ (4940) wp.org #1 2 Smart Slider 3 800K+ · 4.9★ (1125) wp.org #3 ↓1 1 too low 3 Backuply – Backup, Restore, Migrate and Clone 600K+ · 4.5★ (135) wp.org #2 ↑3 1 too high 4 Internal Link Juicer: SEO Auto Linker for WordPress 100K+ · 4.7★ (537) wp.org #4 ↓1 5 Slim Maintenance Mode 10K+ · 5.0★ (63) wp.org #5 ↓1 6 GeoDirectory – WP Business Directory Plugin and Classified Listings Directory 10K+ · 4.8★ (716) wp.org #11 ↑1 5 too low 7 Remove Uppercase Accents 8K+ · 5.0★ (28) wp.org #6 1 too high 8 NinjaFirewall (WP Edition) – Advanced Security Plugin and Firewall 100K+ · 4.9★ (220) wp.org #7 1 too high 9 MultiVendorX – WooCommerce Multivendor Marketplace AI Powered Solutions 2K+ · 4.8★ (432) wp.org #9 ↑1 10 WP Migrate Lite – Migration Made Easy 200K+ · 4.2★ (318) wp.org #8 2 too high 11 Export and Import Users and Customers 50K+ · 4.8★ (442) wp.org #12 ↓1 1 too low 12 FluentBoards – Project Management, Task Management, Goal Tracking, Kanban Board, and, Team Collaboration 6K+ · 5.0★ (25) wp.org #17 5 too low 13 WCFM Marketplace – Multivendor Marketplace for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.6★ (449) wp.org #24 11 too low 14 Bus Ticket Booking with Seat Reservation 700+ · 4.9★ (41) wp.org #22 8 too low 15 Migrate to WordPress.com 2K+ · 4.7★ (9) wp.org #10 ↓1 5 too high 16 XML Feed for Skroutz & BestPrice for WooCommerce 700+ · 4.8★ (16) wp.org #14 ↑2 2 too high 17 Printful Integration for WooCommerce 50K+ · 2.5★ (97) wp.org #15 ↓2 2 too high 18 Hydra Booking — Appointment Scheduling & Booking Calendar 2K+ · 4.4★ (9) wp.org #20 2 too low 19 TaxCloud for WooCommerce 500+ · 4.0★ (11) wp.org #21 2 too low 20 Blanka private label beauty & skincare products app for WooCommerce 100+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #18 2 too high 21 TikTok 200K+ · 1.8★ (39) wp.org #23 2 too low 22 Healomax Stress Assessment Plugin 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #13 ↑1 9 too high 23 Softaculous 10K+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #19 4 too high 24 Starter Sites 900+ · 3.0★ (2) wp.org #16 ↓1 8 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.