wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “tagcloud”
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 “tagcloud”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 of the top 20. 5 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
Easy Mega Menu for WordPress – ThemeHunk shows at wp.org #6 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 14 places. Its 1K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 1.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Custom Taxonomy Order 50K+ · 4.8★ (96)
wp.org #4 3 too low 2 
HTML5 Cumulus 1K+ · 5.0★ (11) thin reviews
wp.org #2 3 
Post Types Unlimited 10K+ · 5.0★ (9) thin reviews
wp.org #3 4 
Widgets on Pages 20K+ · 4.7★ (161) throws errorsnot PHP-current stale but ranked
wp.org #7 3 too low 5 
DB Tagcloud for Woocommerce 10+ · 5.0★ (1) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviewsstale but ranked
wp.org #1 4 too high 6 F F2 Tag Cloud Widget 500+ · 5.0★ (2) closure risk thin reviewsstale but ranked
wp.org #5 1 too high 7 T Tag Cloud Shortcode 500+ · 5.0★ (3) closure risk thin reviewsstale but ranked
wp.org #8 1 too low 8 M Most Popular Tags 300+ · 5.0★ (2) closure risk thin reviews
wp.org #12 4 too low 9 N NG Gallery Optimizer Modified 20+ · 4.2★ (5) throws errorsnot PHP-currentclosure risk thin reviews
wp.org #14 5 too low 10 
DB Price Converter for WooCommerce — · 0.0★ (0) thin reviewsstale but ranked
wp.org #9 1 too high 11 
autometa 40+ · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviews
wp.org #11 12 
Minimalist Tag Cloud 10+ · 5.0★ (1) closure risk thin reviewsstale but ranked
wp.org #10 2 too high 13 
Post Tags and Archives 100+ · 5.0★ (1) closure risk thin reviews
wp.org #13 14 S Sitewide Tag Suggestion — · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviews
wp.org #17 3 too low 15 S Sk Multi Tag 10+ · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviews
wp.org #19 4 too low 16 I IFrame Widget 500+ · 0.0★ (0) throws errorsnot PHP-currentclosure risk thin reviews
wp.org #15 1 too high 17 S SensitiveTagCloud 40+ · 0.0★ (0) throws errorsnot PHP-currentclosure risk thin reviews
wp.org #18 1 too low 18 R RCR8 10+ · 3.0★ (2) closure risk thin reviews
wp.org #16 2 too high 19 F Flickr Tag Cloud Widget 10+ · 0.0★ (0) throws errorsnot PHP-currentclosure risk thin reviews
wp.org #20 1 too low 20 Easy Mega Menu for WordPress – ThemeHunk 1K+ · 1.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #6 14 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.