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

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 “tailwindcss”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 6 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

DevDome Analytics: Visitor Tracker, Cookieless Analytics, Site Stats & Bot Detection shows at wp.org #13 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 5 places. Its 100+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Simple Calendar – Google Calendar Plugin places #4 on merit, 3.8★ from 397 reviews, but shows at wp.org #23. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 WindPress – Tailwind CSS integration for WordPress 3K+ · 5.0★ (37) wp.org #2 1 too low 2 ska-blocks – TailwindCSS for Block Editor 80+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #1 1 too high 3 EntryDashboard – Database Addon & Sync for WPForms, CF7, Elementor & More 50+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #5 2 too low 4 Simple Calendar – Google Calendar Plugin 50K+ · 3.8★ (397) wp.org #23 19 too low 5 Draft – Tailwind CSS for WordPress. 600+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #6 1 too low 6 Pulseem 10+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #7 1 too low 7 Winden — Tailwind CSS Compiler with Full WordPress Integration 10+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #3 4 too high 8 Ultima Ads for Publishers 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #4 4 too high 9 Pilo'Press 90+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #20 11 too low 10 X Xcodesol Commerce Workflows — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #9 1 too high 11 DevDome Malware Scanner: Virus Scanner, Malware Removal & Quarantine 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #10 1 too high 12 Charming Portfolio 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #8 4 too high 13 DevDome Redirect Manager: Redirector, Link Rotator & Geo Redirect 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #12 1 too high 14 Kayzart — AI Landing Page Builder with Real HTML 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #14 15 Gallery 5cript — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #11 4 too high 16 Enckboaz Website Audit — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #15 1 too high 17 Magecomp AI Description Generator for WooCommerce — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #16 1 too high 18 DevDome Analytics: Visitor Tracker, Cookieless Analytics, Site Stats & Bot Detection 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #13 5 too high 19 Primestep Vehicle Reservation Calculator — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 2 too high 20 WUOZ Connect — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #18 2 too high 21 Tempaloo WebP — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #19 2 too high 22 HEIZHU Forms Tiny For LINE — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 1 too high 23 StoreBolt – Advanced Search for WooCommerce — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 1 too high 24 Tiamis – AI Live Chat — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #24

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.