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

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

Product Variation Swatches for WooCommerce – Enhance Your Product Attributes with Elegant Color, Image, and Label Swatches shows at wp.org #14 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 6 places. Its 100+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.2★ average from 5 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

WC Fields Factory places #10 on merit, 4.3★ from 168 reviews, but shows at wp.org #22. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Variation Swatches for WooCommerce 300K+ · 4.8★ (926) wp.org #1 ↑1 2 Variation Swatches for WooCommerce – Color, Image & Size Swatches 200K+ · 4.6★ (51) wp.org #2 ↓1 3 Variation Swatches for WooCommerce 8K+ · 4.9★ (86) wp.org #3 4 Variation Swatches for WooCommerce 9K+ · 4.7★ (55) wp.org #5 ↑2 1 too low 5 Variation Swatches for WooCommerce 50K+ · 3.7★ (59) wp.org #4 ↑1 1 too high 6 Swatchly – Product Variation Swatches for WooCommerce 5K+ · 4.5★ (29) wp.org #6 ↓2 7 ECS – Ele Custom Skin for Elementor 100K+ · 4.6★ (117) wp.org #11 ↑1 4 too low 8 Choosly – Product Variations Swatches for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.7★ (76) wp.org #7 ↓1 1 too high 9 XT Variation Swatches for WooCommerce 500+ · 4.7★ (32) wp.org #12 ↓1 3 too low 10 WC Fields Factory 7K+ · 4.3★ (168) wp.org #22 12 too low 11 YaySwatches – Variation Swatches for WooCommerce 900+ · 5.0★ (9) wp.org #10 1 too high 12 YayExtra – WooCommerce Extra Product Options 1K+ · 4.8★ (24) wp.org #16 ↑1 4 too low 13 WCBoost – Variation Swatches 40K+ · 4.8★ (5) wp.org #8 ↑1 5 too high 14 Product Variation Swatches for WooCommerce – Smart Swatches 700+ · 5.0★ (10) wp.org #9 ↓1 5 too high 15 TP Product Image Flipper for WooCommerce 9K+ · 4.7★ (24) wp.org #21 6 too low 16 Extensions For CF7 (Contact form 7 Database, Conditional Fields and Redirection) 5K+ · 4.9★ (8) wp.org #18 2 too low 17 Variation Swatches for WooCommerce Stores 100+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #15 ↓2 2 too high 18 Smart Variation Swatches for WooCommerce – Color & Image Attribute Swatches 3K+ · 3.2★ (13) wp.org #13 ↑1 5 too high 19 YITH WooCommerce Product Add-Ons 20K+ · 3.7★ (57) wp.org #24 5 too low 20 Product Variation Swatches for WooCommerce – Enhance Your Product Attributes with Elegant Color, Image, and Label Swatches 100+ · 4.2★ (5) wp.org #14 ↑1 6 too high 21 Product Option Kit – Product Options & Addons for WooCommerce 200+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #23 2 too low 22 Variation Swatches for WooCommerce 2K+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 ↓1 5 too high 23 QODE Variation Swatches for WooCommerce 1K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #19 ↑1 4 too high 24 Swatch – Variation Swatches for WooCommerce — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #20 ↓1 4 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.