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

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 “swap”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 of the top 20. 3 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

WPC Product Image Swap for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #2 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 16 places. Its 900+ 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

Perfect Images: Regenerate Thumbnails, Image Sizes, WebP & AVIF places #12 on merit, 4.8★ from 279 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 Swap Google Fonts Display: Improve Font Rendering & Performance 10K+ · 4.4★ (13) wp.org #1 2 ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2051) wp.org #4 2 too low 3 10Web Booster – Website speed optimization, Cache & Page Speed optimizer 60K+ · 4.6★ (405) wp.org #7 ↑4 4 too low 4 Sticky Header Effects for Elementor 300K+ · 4.5★ (69) wp.org #5 ↑1 1 too low 5 Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (587) wp.org #10 ↓1 5 too low 6 C Conditional Menus 60K+ · 4.4★ (71) wp.org #6 ↓1 7 Starter Templates: AI-Powered Website Templates for Elementor & Gutenberg 1M+ · 4.9★ (4755) wp.org #13 ↓3 6 too low 8 OMGF | GDPR/DSGVO Compliant, Faster Google Fonts. Easy. 300K+ · 4.7★ (213) wp.org #11 ↑1 3 too low 9 WP ULike – Like Buttons, Voting & Engagement Analytics 60K+ · 4.8★ (283) wp.org #15 ↓7 6 too low 10 Smart Variations Images & Swatches for WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.7★ (142) wp.org #8 2 too high 11 Dark Mode for WP Dashboard 3K+ · 4.8★ (34) wp.org #9 ↓2 2 too high 12 Perfect Images: Regenerate Thumbnails, Image Sizes, WebP & AVIF 60K+ · 4.8★ (279) wp.org #20 ↓1 8 too low 13 If-So Dynamic Content – Elementor & All Page Builders Personalization 7K+ · 4.7★ (92) wp.org #18 ↓1 5 too low 14 Product Carousel Slider & Grid Ultimate for WooCommerce 6K+ · 4.3★ (33) wp.org #12 2 too high 15 Currency Converter Widget 2K+ · 4.9★ (88) wp.org #24 ↓2 9 too low 16 SpeedyCache – Cache, Optimization, Performance 500K+ · 4.4★ (30) wp.org #19 ↓4 3 too low 17 SMNTCS Quantity Increment Buttons for WooCommerce 2K+ · 4.5★ (20) wp.org #23 6 too low 18 WPC Product Image Swap for WooCommerce 900+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #2 16 too high 19 Sticky Elementor – Sticky Header, Menu Color After Sticky, Logo Swap & Back to Top Button 600+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #3 16 too high 20 Royal MCP – Secure AI Connector for Claude, ChatGPT & any LLM via MCP 10K+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #22 ↓4 2 too low 21 CallRail Phone Call Tracking 10K+ · 3.7★ (6) wp.org #17 ↓4 4 too high 22 F FameTheme Demo Importer 30K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #16 6 too high 23 Secondary Product Image for WooCommerce 2K+ · 3.5★ (2) wp.org #14 9 too high 24 EasyTest – Simplify A/B Testing 10K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #21 ↓1 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.