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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “system check”

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

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

TuriTop Booking System shows at wp.org #11 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 500+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal places #12 on merit, 4.8★ from 397 reviews, but shows at wp.org #21. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Masteriyo LMS – LMS Course Builder, Quizzes & Certificates 6K+ · 4.8★ (184) wp.org #1 2 Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5040) wp.org #2 3 Theme Check 20K+ · 4.8★ (195) wp.org #3 4 Salon Booking System – Appointment Booking for Salons, Barbershops & Spas 2K+ · 4.4★ (187) wp.org #5 ↑1 1 too low 5 Plugin Check (PCP) 10K+ · 4.5★ (36) wp.org #4 ↑1 1 too high 6 WP Fastest Cache – WordPress Cache Plugin 1M+ · 4.9★ (4229) wp.org #12 ↑12 6 too low 7 Pinpoint Booking System – Legacy version 2K+ · 3.6★ (185) wp.org #6 1 too high 8 Online Scheduling and Appointment Booking System – Bookly 60K+ · 4.4★ (586) wp.org #13 ↓2 5 too low 9 Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7520) wp.org #17 ↓1 8 too low 10 WP24 Domain Check 4K+ · 4.3★ (32) wp.org #7 3 too high 11 LiteSpeed Cache 7M+ · 4.8★ (2778) wp.org #18 ↑1 7 too low 12 Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (397) wp.org #21 9 too low 13 Disqus Comment System 30K+ · 2.7★ (219) wp.org #8 ↑2 5 too high 14 System Dashboard 900+ · 4.9★ (16) wp.org #9 ↓1 5 too high 15 GD Rating System 1K+ · 4.3★ (24) wp.org #10 ↓1 5 too high 16 Wallet System for WooCommerce – Digital Wallet, Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL), Instant Cashback, Referral program, Partial & Subscription Payments 1K+ · 4.9★ (65) wp.org #20 4 too low 17 WP ADA Compliance Check Basic 2K+ · 4.5★ (8) wp.org #15 ↓3 2 too high 18 WP-CRM System – Manage Clients and Projects 700+ · 3.9★ (15) wp.org #24 ↓2 6 too low 19 Booking System Trafft 400+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #14 ↑3 5 too high 20 Check for Broken Links – Broken Link Checker & SEO Suite 2K+ · 4.0★ (6) wp.org #16 ↑2 4 too high 21 TuriTop Booking System 500+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #11 ↑2 10 too high 22 atec System Info 200+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #22 ↓2 23 System Requirements Check 30+ · 4.5★ (2) wp.org #19 ↓4 4 too high 24 CMS ADMINS Security Check Report 400+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #23 1 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.