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

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 “teach”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 7 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

Spotlightr – Secure Video Hosting for WordPress, Courses & LearnDash shows at wp.org #7 but places #17 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 200+ 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

MasterStudy LMS WordPress Plugin – for Online Courses and Education places #7 on merit, 4.5★ from 486 reviews, but shows at wp.org #12. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Invisible Anti-Spam & CAPTCHA — reCAPTCHA Alternative for All Forms 4K+ · 4.8★ (50) wp.org #2 ↓1 1 too low 2 WPVibe – WordPress MCP Server. Connect Claude, ChatGPT & Any AI Agent via MCP 50K+ · 5.0★ (101) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 Sensei LMS – Online Courses, Quizzes, & Learning 9K+ · 3.5★ (40) wp.org #1 ↑1 2 too high 4 GEO Plugin by Squirrly SEO 30K+ · 4.6★ (681) wp.org #6 ↓2 2 too low 5 I Insert Pages 30K+ · 4.8★ (71) wp.org #4 ↑1 1 too high 6 Product Bundle Builder for WooCommerce 6K+ · 4.8★ (60) wp.org #5 ↑2 1 too high 7 MasterStudy LMS WordPress Plugin – for Online Courses and Education 10K+ · 4.5★ (486) wp.org #12 5 too low 8 Voice Audio Widgets – Voice recorder with Forms, AI Powered STT, TTS, Transcriptions, Language Teaching 300+ · 5.0★ (16) wp.org #8 9 Genealogical Tree – Family Tree & Ancestry for WordPress 600+ · 4.1★ (16) wp.org #10 1 too low 10 WP101 Video Tutorial Plugin 10K+ · 4.3★ (11) wp.org #18 ↓2 8 too low 11 Cincopa video and media plug-in 1K+ · 2.8★ (26) wp.org #14 3 too low 12 Editoria11y Accessibility Checker 1K+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #13 1 too low 13 Gym Builder – Fitness Studio Booking, Class Schedule, Trainer Profiles, BMI Calculator & Member Management Plugin 100+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #22 9 too low 14 AntiSpam for Contact Form 7 10K+ · 4.2★ (13) wp.org #16 ↑1 2 too low 15 GoodMeet – Google Meet Integration for Webinar, Meeting & Video Conference 90+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #17 2 too low 16 WordPress Playground Block 200+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #9 7 too high 17 Spotlightr – Secure Video Hosting for WordPress, Courses & LearnDash 200+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #7 ↓1 10 too high 18 Vercel AI Gateway Provider 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #11 7 too high 19 Superb Helper 8K+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #15 4 too high 20 LolaCore – AI Admin Agent 50+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #24 4 too low 21 WPiko AI Chatbot – ChatGPT Assistant & Customer Support 40+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #19 2 too high 22 Sant Chat AI 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #20 ↓2 2 too high 23 Auditizer – AI Website Audit & Optimization 50+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #21 ↓2 2 too high 24 Product Upload: AI Dropshipping & Product Importer for WooCommerce 100+ · 5.0★ (1) 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.