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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “suggested groups”

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 “suggested groups”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 of the top 20. 6 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 #11 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 11 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

Custom Product Tabs for WooCommerce & WordPress Tabs Builder – Smart Tabs places #10 on merit, 4.9★ from 134 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 Better Messages – Chat Rooms, Group Chat, Private Messages & AI Chat Bots 10K+ · 4.8★ (142) wp.org #1 2 WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More 5M+ · 4.8★ (14387) wp.org #2 3 Product Feed Manager for WooCommerce – CTX Feed – Support 220+ Shopping, AI & Social Channels 90K+ · 4.6★ (838) wp.org #3 4 Simple History – Track, Log, and Audit WordPress Changes 300K+ · 4.9★ (491) wp.org #7 3 too low 5 Meta Field Block – Display Custom Fields for ACF, Meta Box and More 10K+ · 5.0★ (57) wp.org #5 6 Mailonix – Email Template Customizer for WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.6★ (105) wp.org #6 7 Keyword Research Tool 700+ · 4.9★ (7) wp.org #4 3 too high 8 WindPress – Tailwind CSS integration for WordPress 3K+ · 5.0★ (37) wp.org #10 2 too low 9 Link Whisper Free 30K+ · 4.2★ (150) wp.org #14 ↑1 5 too low 10 Custom Product Tabs for WooCommerce & WordPress Tabs Builder – Smart Tabs 10K+ · 4.9★ (134) wp.org #20 ↓9 10 too low 11 EmbedPress 100K+ · 4.8★ (307) wp.org #18 ↑6 7 too low 12 Ultimate FAQ Solution 600+ · 4.9★ (9) wp.org #8 4 too high 13 Contact List – Online Staff Directory & Address Book 1K+ · 4.8★ (19) wp.org #12 ↑1 1 too high 14 Push Notification for Post and BuddyPress 200+ · 4.7★ (24) wp.org #15 ↑1 1 too low 15 SEO Engine – Smart SEO with AI, Schema & Redirection for WordPress 1K+ · 4.9★ (48) wp.org #24 ↓2 9 too low 16 Mailing Group Listserv 100+ · 4.0★ (25) wp.org #21 ↓1 5 too low 17 Visibility – Lightweight SEO, AEO and GEO for Search and AI 600+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #13 ↑1 4 too high 18 Bopo – WooCommerce Product Bundle Builder 900+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #9 9 too high 19 CommerceBird – AI Support & Sales Agents, Helpdesk and B2B for WooCommerce 400+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #16 ↑1 3 too high 20 Geeky Bot – AI Chatbot & Sales Assistant for WooCommerce 6K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #23 3 too low 21 SiteSEO – SEO Simplified 400K+ · 4.0★ (8) wp.org #19 2 too high 22 CM Header and Footer – Add custom scripts and styles to your header and footer with ease 1K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #11 ↑1 11 too high 23 WPSSO Commerce Manager Catalog Feed XML 90+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #17 ↑1 6 too high 24 Upzell Checkout Upsell Funnel for WooCommerce 600+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #22 ↓1 2 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.