wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “student list”

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 “student list”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 of the top 20.

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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.

Ranked above its merit

EDU Results Publishing – Student Result Management shows at wp.org #11 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 60+ 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

LifterLMS – WP LMS for eLearning, Online Courses, & Quizzes places #12 on merit, 4.8★ from 393 reviews, but shows at wp.org #20. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

Masteriyo LMS – LMS Course Builder, Quizzes & Certificates 6K+ · 4.8★ (184) wp.org #1 2

Tutor LMS – eLearning and online course solution 100K+ · 4.4★ (590) wp.org #2 3

LearnPress – WordPress LMS Plugin for Create and Sell Online Courses 70K+ · 4.3★ (597) wp.org #3 4

Popup Maker – Boost Sales, Conversions, Optins, Subscribers with the Ultimate WP Popup Builder 600K+ · 4.9★ (4514) wp.org #5 1 too low 5

Better Messages – Chat Rooms, Group Chat, Private Messages & AI Chat Bots 10K+ · 4.8★ (142) wp.org #8 3 too low 6

Educare – Students & Result Management System 600+ · 4.6★ (24) thin reviews wp.org #4 2 too high 7

Responsive Team Members Showcase, Team Grid, Team Slider, and Staff List – Smart Team (formerly WP Team) 5K+ · 4.7★ (92) wp.org #7 8

FuseWP – WordPress User Sync to Email List & Marketing Automation (Mailchimp, Constant Contact, ActiveCampaign etc.) 2K+ · 4.9★ (25) wp.org #6 2 too high 9

ProfilePress – Paid Membership, Online Courses (LMS), Ecommerce, User Registration & Login Form, User Profile & Restrict Content 100K+ · 3.1★ (938) wp.org #9 10

Import and export users and customers 70K+ · 4.7★ (259) wp.org #13 3 too low 11

MasterStudy LMS WordPress Plugin – for Online Courses and Education 10K+ · 4.5★ (487) wp.org #16 5 too low 12

LifterLMS – WP LMS for eLearning, Online Courses, & Quizzes 10K+ · 4.8★ (393) wp.org #20 8 too low 13

FluentCommunity – Ultra-Fast High-Performance Social Network, Community, LMS & Online Courses 8K+ · 4.8★ (96) wp.org #14 1 too low 14

WP Activity Log 300K+ · 4.7★ (490) wp.org #19 5 too low 15

MailOptin – Popup, Optin Forms & Email Newsletters for Mailchimp, HubSpot, AWeber Etc. 10K+ · 4.8★ (438) wp.org #22 7 too low 16

Uncanny Toolkit for LearnDash 20K+ · 4.8★ (105) wp.org #18 2 too low 17

Redirection for Contact Form 7 200K+ · 4.7★ (275) wp.org #21 4 too low 18

Sensei LMS – Online Courses, Quizzes, & Learning 9K+ · 3.5★ (40) wp.org #12 6 too high 19

Authorizer 6K+ · 5.0★ (20) thin reviews wp.org #23 4 too low 20

CM Curated List Manager – Effortless tool for link management 70+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews wp.org #10 10 too high 21

Tutor LMS – Migration Tool 1K+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews wp.org #24 3 too low 22

Block for Mailchimp – grow your email list with signup forms 2K+ · 3.7★ (3) thin reviews wp.org #15 7 too high 23

LearnPress – Course Wishlist 10K+ · 3.7★ (3) thin reviews wp.org #17 6 too high 24

EDU Results Publishing – Student Result Management 60+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews wp.org #11 13 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.