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

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 “syntaxhighlighter”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 of the top 20. 9 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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.

Ranked above its merit

SyntaxHighlighter Evolved: SASS Brush shows at wp.org #3 but places #8 on merit, a gap of 5 places. Its 20+ installs carry it up the search order; its 0.0★ average from 0 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Enlighter – Customizable Syntax Highlighter places #3 on merit, 4.8★ from 65 reviews, but shows at wp.org #8. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

1 S SyntaxHighlighter Evolved 20K+ · 4.3★ (86) stale but ranked wp.org #1 2

Code Block Pro – Beautiful Syntax Highlighting 10K+ · 4.8★ (50) wp.org #4 2 too low 3

Enlighter – Customizable Syntax Highlighter 10K+ · 4.8★ (65) wp.org #8 5 too low 4 R Raw HTML 10K+ · 4.3★ (33) stale but ranked wp.org #10 6 too low 5

Uix Shortcodes 300+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews wp.org #6 ↑1 1 too low 6

代码高亮 10+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviewslow rating, top placement wp.org #2 4 too high 7

Preserve Code Formatting 400+ · 4.7★ (3) thin reviews wp.org #7 ↓1 8

SyntaxHighlighter Evolved: SASS Brush 20+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviewslow rating, top placement wp.org #3 5 too high 9

Presenter 100+ · 4.0★ (5) closure risk thin reviews wp.org #13 4 too low 10

MeliBu WP Syntax High Lighter 10+ · 3.0★ (1) closure risk thin reviews wp.org #19 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.