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

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

AI Agent by SiteGround shows at wp.org #10 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 1M+ installs carry it up the search order; its 1.7★ average from 98 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Starter Templates: AI-Powered Website Templates for Elementor & Gutenberg places #8 on merit, 4.9★ from 4755 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 wp.org
1 Widgets for Google Reviews 1M+ · 4.9★ (2667) wp.org #1 2 Black Studio TinyMCE Widget 200K+ · 4.8★ (191) wp.org #2 3 AI Engine – MCP Server & AI Chatbot for WordPress, with Claude, ChatGPT & Gemini 90K+ · 4.9★ (874) wp.org #3 4 WP Store Locator 40K+ · 4.8★ (312) wp.org #4 5 Simply Schedule Appointments 50K+ · 5.0★ (155) wp.org #7 2 too low 6 Tutor LMS – eLearning and online course solution 100K+ · 4.4★ (590) wp.org #8 2 too low 7 Simply Static – The Static Site Generator 30K+ · 4.5★ (195) wp.org #9 2 too low 8 Starter Templates: AI-Powered Website Templates for Elementor & Gutenberg 1M+ · 4.9★ (4755) wp.org #20 12 too low 9 Create 6K+ · 4.3★ (25) wp.org #6 3 too high 10 Events Manager – Calendar, Bookings, Tickets, Appointments and more! 60K+ · 4.2★ (551) wp.org #13 3 too low 11 GeoDirectory – WP Business Directory Plugin and Classified Listings Directory 10K+ · 4.8★ (716) wp.org #19 8 too low 12 Online Scheduling and Appointment Booking System – Bookly 60K+ · 4.4★ (586) wp.org #24 12 too low 13 Appointment Booking Plugin – LatePoint | Calendar & Scheduling for WordPress 100K+ · 4.9★ (106) wp.org #22 9 too low 14 Metricool – Social media and site statistics 90K+ · 4.4★ (23) wp.org #12 2 too high 15 LA-Studio Element Kit for Elementor 10K+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #5 10 too high 16 WP Customer Area 10K+ · 4.0★ (89) wp.org #18 2 too low 17 Really Simple Featured Video for Posts, Pages & WooCommerce Products 4K+ · 4.0★ (34) wp.org #17 18 Gym Builder – Class Timetable & Booking for Gyms, Fitness & Yoga Studios 100+ · 5.0★ (10) wp.org #14 4 too high 19 Studio Modules for Divi | Divi Studio Lite 200+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #11 8 too high 20 WP Film Studio – WordPress Movie Maker/Production Plugin 200+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #15 5 too high 21 Video Popup – Youtube, Vimeo, Gutenberg, Shortcode, Elementor 1K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #23 2 too low 22 AI Agent by SiteGround 1M+ · 1.7★ (98) wp.org #10 12 too high 23 F FameTheme Demo Importer 30K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #16 7 too high 24 Flodesk for Elementor Pro 800+ · 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.