Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “tag filter”

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 “tag filter”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 of the top 20. 4 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

Better Post & Filter Widgets for Elementor shows at wp.org #9 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 4K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 18 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI places #10 on merit, 4.8★ from 27821 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 Filter Everything — WordPress & WooCommerce Filters 50K+ · 4.6★ (154) wp.org #1 2 GTM4WP – A Google Tag Manager (GTM) plugin for WordPress 700K+ · 4.5★ (155) wp.org #2 3 Blog Filter – Post Grid Filter by Category or Tag 7K+ · 4.9★ (81) wp.org #3 4 Product Filter for WooCommerce by WBW 50K+ · 4.8★ (325) wp.org #5 ↑1 1 too low 5 HUSKY – Products Filter for WooCommerce Professional. MCP is onboard 80K+ · 4.6★ (337) wp.org #4 1 too high 6 Category AJAX Filter – Posts, Custom Post Types & Product Filter 6K+ · 4.9★ (158) wp.org #6 ↑1 7 Search & Filter 40K+ · 4.5★ (175) wp.org #7 ↓2 8 Portfolio Filter Gallery – Photo Gallery 20K+ · 4.8★ (348) wp.org #10 ↑2 2 too low 9 Meta Tag Manager 70K+ · 4.8★ (84) wp.org #8 1 too high 10 Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI 10M+ · 4.8★ (27821) wp.org #21 11 too low 11 The Events Calendar 600K+ · 4.2★ (2461) wp.org #15 ↓1 4 too low 12 PixelYourSite – Your smart PIXEL (TAG) & API Manager 400K+ · 4.3★ (281) wp.org #14 ↓5 2 too low 13 Ajax Search Lite – Live Search & Filter 70K+ · 4.8★ (266) wp.org #20 ↑4 7 too low 14 Pixel Manager for WooCommerce – Conversion Tracking, Google Ads, GA4, TikTok, Dynamic Remarketing 40K+ · 4.9★ (399) wp.org #23 9 too low 15 PublishPress Tag Groups: Stylish Displays For Your Tags and Categories 3K+ · 4.8★ (57) wp.org #13 ↑2 2 too high 16 Social Preview and Open Graph Tags 50K+ · 4.6★ (122) wp.org #17 ↑1 1 too low 17 Filter Gallery 3K+ · 4.6★ (22) wp.org #11 ↑2 6 too high 18 Better Post & Filter Widgets for Elementor 4K+ · 5.0★ (18) wp.org #9 ↑2 9 too high 19 Code Snippets 1M+ · 4.7★ (510) wp.org #22 3 too low 20 Advanced AJAX Product Filters 50K+ · 4.7★ (387) wp.org #24 ↓8 4 too low 21 Metronet Tag Manager 20K+ · 4.8★ (8) wp.org #12 ↓2 9 too high 22 Themify – WooCommerce Product Filter 20K+ · 3.5★ (72) wp.org #18 ↑1 4 too high 23 VK Filter Search 6K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #19 ↑1 4 too high 24 WP Global Site Tag 7K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #16 ↑1 8 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.