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

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 “teaching”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 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

FV Player 8 shows at wp.org #7 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 15 places. Its 1K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

LifterLMS – WP LMS for eLearning, Online Courses, & Quizzes places #5 on merit, 4.8★ from 393 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 Tutor LMS – eLearning and online course solution 100K+ · 4.4★ (590) wp.org #1 2 Simply Schedule Appointments 50K+ · 5.0★ (155) wp.org #3 ↑1 1 too low 3 Voice Audio Widgets – Voice recorder with Forms, AI Powered STT, TTS, Transcriptions, Language Teaching 300+ · 5.0★ (16) wp.org #2 1 too high 4 LearnPress – WordPress LMS Plugin for Create and Sell Online Courses 70K+ · 4.3★ (597) wp.org #4 ↓1 5 LifterLMS – WP LMS for eLearning, Online Courses, & Quizzes 10K+ · 4.8★ (393) wp.org #12 ↓1 7 too low 6 MasterStudy LMS WordPress Plugin – for Online Courses and Education 10K+ · 4.5★ (487) wp.org #10 ↑2 4 too low 7 WPComplete 1K+ · 4.1★ (43) wp.org #6 1 too high 8 Virtual Classroom & Video Conferencing – BigBlueButton 400+ · 4.6★ (10) wp.org #5 3 too high 9 FV Flowplayer Video Player 10K+ · 4.4★ (90) wp.org #8 1 too high 10 Fox LMS – eLearning & Course Builder 60+ · 5.0★ (19) wp.org #13 ↑2 3 too low 11 TrueAna – True Analytics Dashboard 1K+ · 5.0★ (30) wp.org #18 ↑1 7 too low 12 WP-DraftsForFriends 1K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #9 3 too high 13 C Commons In A Box 20+ · 5.0★ (9) wp.org #15 ↑1 2 too low 14 WP101 Video Tutorial Plugin 10K+ · 4.3★ (11) wp.org #14 15 The School Management – Education & Learning ERP 700+ · 4.5★ (15) wp.org #17 ↑3 2 too low 16 Creator LMS – WordPress LMS Plugin for Coaches, Cohorts & Course Creators 100+ · 5.0★ (16) wp.org #24 ↓1 8 too low 17 Acadlix LMS – AI Quiz Maker, Online Exam & Course Plugin for WordPress 40+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #19 ↓1 2 too low 18 Create with Code 300+ · 4.2★ (5) wp.org #22 ↑2 4 too low 19 Booking System Trafft 400+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #21 ↑1 2 too low 20 Teaching Impact Score Lite — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #16 ↑1 4 too high 21 S Shalom World Plus 40+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 ↑1 1 too high 22 FV Player 8 1K+ · 4.0★ (2) wp.org #7 15 too high 23 Sermon Library 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 24 C Custom User Registration Fields for Tutor LMS 300+ · 3.0★ (1) wp.org #11 ↑2 13 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.