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

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 “tap”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 15 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

Tap Chat – Floating Contact Button shows at wp.org #3 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 17 places. Its 200+ 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

WP Chat App places #8 on merit, 4.9★ from 222 reviews, but shows at wp.org #17. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 WooCommerce Stripe Payment Gateway 700K+ · 3.1★ (237) wp.org #1 2 Max Mega Menu 300K+ · 4.8★ (882) wp.org #5 ↑1 3 too low 3 One Tap Google Sign in 800+ · 4.7★ (17) wp.org #2 1 too high 4 Post SMTP – Complete Email Delivery and SMTP Solution with Email Logs, Alerts, Backup SMTP & Mobile App 300K+ · 4.7★ (528) wp.org #8 4 too low 5 GiveWP – Donation Plugin and Fundraising Platform 100K+ · 4.6★ (708) wp.org #6 ↓1 1 too low 6 AI Engine – MCP Server & AI Chatbot for WordPress, with Claude, ChatGPT & Gemini 90K+ · 4.9★ (874) wp.org #12 ↑6 6 too low 7 WooPayments: Integrated WooCommerce Payments 800K+ · 3.4★ (177) wp.org #4 3 too high 8 WP Chat App 100K+ · 4.9★ (222) wp.org #17 ↓1 9 too low 9 Call Now Button – The Free Click to Call Button for WordPress 200K+ · 4.8★ (102) wp.org #16 ↓1 7 too low 10 Interactive Image Map Plugin – Draw Attention 20K+ · 4.9★ (114) wp.org #14 ↓1 4 too low 11 Variation Swatches for WooCommerce – Color, Image & Size Swatches 200K+ · 4.6★ (51) wp.org #13 ↓1 2 too low 12 Dinosaur Game 1K+ · 5.0★ (13) wp.org #9 3 too high 13 Hubbub Lite – Fast, free social sharing and follow buttons 30K+ · 4.7★ (173) wp.org #23 ↑1 10 too low 14 FluentAuth – Login Security, Two-Factor Authentication, Passkeys & Social Login 10K+ · 4.1★ (35) wp.org #10 4 too high 15 WP ImageViewer 700+ · 4.9★ (10) wp.org #18 ↓1 3 too low 16 MM Back To Top — Scroll Up Button 100+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #7 9 too high 17 SMS Abandoned Cart Recovery – CartBoss 400+ · 4.9★ (29) wp.org #21 ↑1 4 too low 18 Ezoic 10K+ · 3.3★ (53) wp.org #24 6 too low 19 VidShop – Shoppable Videos for WooCommerce 1K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #11 8 too high 20 Tap Chat – Floating Contact Button 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #3 17 too high 21 UnoDock – Mobile Bottom Navigation 700+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #15 ↓1 6 too high 22 Order on Mobile for WooCommerce 7K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #20 ↑1 2 too high 23 Business Card Block – present your team and contact info in style 1K+ · 4.3★ (4) wp.org #22 ↑1 1 too high 24 Tamara Checkout 3K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #19 ↑1 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.