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

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 “summaries”, 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

WPSummarize – AI Summaries with key takeaways for your posts shows at wp.org #6 but places #17 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 90+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 6 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Big File Uploads – Increase Maximum File Upload Size places #12 on merit, 4.9★ from 403 reviews, but shows at wp.org #17. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322) wp.org #1 2 PDF Invoices & Packing Slips for WooCommerce 300K+ · 5.0★ (1865) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 Widgets for Google Reviews 1M+ · 4.9★ (2667) wp.org #4 1 too low 4 WP Mail SMTP by WPForms – SMTP for Reliable Email Delivery with Gmail, Outlook, Amazon SES, Brevo, Other SMTP & More 4M+ · 4.8★ (5209) wp.org #5 ↓1 1 too low 5 Share Buttons & AI-powered Summaries 1K+ · 5.0★ (16) wp.org #2 3 too high 6 Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI 10M+ · 4.8★ (27821) wp.org #8 2 too low 7 Post Views Counter 100K+ · 4.9★ (1237) wp.org #10 ↑7 3 too low 8 Customer Reviews for WooCommerce 80K+ · 4.8★ (1539) wp.org #12 ↓1 4 too low 9 Fluent Forms – Customizable Contact Forms, Survey, Quiz, & Conversational Form Builder 800K+ · 4.8★ (807) wp.org #9 ↓2 10 Simple History – Track, Log, and Audit WordPress Changes 300K+ · 4.9★ (491) wp.org #11 ↓2 1 too low 11 Site Reviews 60K+ · 4.9★ (376) wp.org #14 ↓2 3 too low 12 Big File Uploads – Increase Maximum File Upload Size 100K+ · 4.9★ (403) wp.org #17 ↑1 5 too low 13 Live Summary for Gravity Forms 1K+ · 5.0★ (18) wp.org #7 ↓1 6 too high 14 Click to Chat – HoliThemes 600K+ · 4.8★ (131) wp.org #13 1 too high 15 Ultra Addons for Contact Form 7 60K+ · 4.8★ (107) wp.org #16 ↓1 1 too low 16 Advanced Order Export For WooCommerce 100K+ · 5.0★ (350) wp.org #22 6 too low 17 WPSummarize – AI Summaries with key takeaways for your posts 90+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #6 ↓1 11 too high 18 WP Accessibility 60K+ · 4.8★ (68) wp.org #21 ↑3 3 too low 19 WP Google Review Slider 30K+ · 4.9★ (373) wp.org #20 ↑1 1 too low 20 Security Optimizer – The All-In-One Protection Plugin 1M+ · 4.5★ (157) wp.org #23 3 too low 21 WPC Smart Quick View for WooCommerce 80K+ · 4.9★ (31) wp.org #15 ↑1 6 too high 22 Gravity Forms Zero Spam 100K+ · 4.3★ (24) wp.org #18 ↑2 4 too high 23 Coupon Affiliates – Affiliate Plugin for WooCommerce 5K+ · 4.9★ (77) wp.org #24 ↓5 1 too low 24 CF7 Apps – Addons for Contact Form 7 (Honeypot, Database, Redirection, Webhook, etc.) 300K+ · 3.8★ (135) wp.org #19 ↓9 5 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.