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

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 “summer”, 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

Falling Things shows at wp.org #6 but places #16 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 200+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.0★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

WP Travel Engine – Tour Booking Plugin – Tour Operator Software places #6 on merit, 4.9★ from 594 reviews, but shows at wp.org #15. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 C Custom Upload Dir 5K+ · 4.4★ (25) wp.org #1 2 HurryTimer – An Scarcity and Urgency Countdown Timer for WordPress & WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.8★ (170) wp.org #4 ↑2 2 too low 3 Weather Effect 4K+ · 4.5★ (30) wp.org #2 1 too high 4 Discount Rules for WooCommerce 100K+ · 4.9★ (1395) wp.org #9 ↑2 5 too low 5 WSP MCP – Free MCP Plugin for WordPress: Connect Claude, ChatGPT & AI Agents 3K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #3 ↑2 2 too high 6 WP Travel Engine – Tour Booking Plugin – Tour Operator Software 20K+ · 4.9★ (594) wp.org #15 ↑1 9 too low 7 Dynamic Pricing With Discount Rules for WooCommerce 5K+ · 4.5★ (68) wp.org #7 8 NETSENSAI Shield 1K+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #5 ↓2 3 too high 9 Secure MCP Server for Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini and other AI Agents 8K+ · 5.0★ (10) wp.org #11 ↓1 2 too low 10 AI Search for WooCommerce — Semantic & Live Search 80+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #10 ↓1 11 HashBar – Announcement, Notification Bar & Popup Campaign 9K+ · 4.2★ (38) wp.org #23 ↑1 12 too low 12 Leo Product Recommendations: Upsell Popup, Frequently Bought Together & Cart Drawer for WooCommerce 400+ · 5.0★ (12) wp.org #16 ↓2 4 too low 13 Cowboy MCP – Free MCP Server with Undo for Claude & ChatGPT 1K+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #14 ↑1 1 too low 14 ImgSEO – AI Image Alt Text Generator & Image SEO Tools 400+ · 5.0★ (10) wp.org #22 ↑1 8 too low 15 AntiSpam for Contact Form 7 10K+ · 4.2★ (13) wp.org #19 4 too low 16 Falling Things 200+ · 4.0★ (3) wp.org #6 ↓2 10 too high 17 Category Description for WooCommerce 700+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #8 9 too high 18 Discount Rules for WooCommerce – Disco | Dynamic Pricing, Conditions, Bulk, Bundle, BOGO 5K+ · 4.2★ (9) wp.org #21 ↑1 3 too low 19 ConvertForce: Popup, Notification Bar & Slide-in Builder 100+ · 4.7★ (3) wp.org #20 1 too low 20 AI Search for WooCommerce – Semantic Search 200+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #24 ↓3 4 too low 21 Easy Booking Calendar for WooCommerce 40+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #18 3 too high 22 Teydea Login Security – Password Policy, Complexity Rules & Expiration 400+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #12 10 too high 23 Festival Snow Effect 60+ · 4.0★ (2) wp.org #13 10 too high 24 CartLink Generator for WooCommerce — Direct Checkout & Share Cart Links 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #17 7 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.