wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “tel link”
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 “tel link”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 of the top 20.
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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.
Ranked above its merit
WhatsLink Click Tracker shows at wp.org #8 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 400+ 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 Job Board places #12 on merit, 4.7★ from 133 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.
PrettyLinks – Affiliate Link Management, URL Shortener, Link Cloaking, Tracking & Branded Short Links 200K+ · 4.8★ (1322)
wp.org #1 2 
Link Whisper Free 30K+ · 4.2★ (151)
wp.org #2 3 
Campos Checkout Brasileiro para WooCommerce 5K+ · 4.9★ (45)
wp.org #4 1 too low 4 
Email Address Encoder 100K+ · 4.2★ (160)
wp.org #5 1 too low 5 
Broken Link Notifier 1K+ · 4.8★ (14) thin reviews
wp.org #3 2 too high 6 
LinkCentral – URL shortener, Affiliate Links & Custom Link Shortener with Link Tracking 400+ · 5.0★ (19) thin reviews
wp.org #6 7 
WPZOOM Connect: Social Icons Widget & Block, Share Buttons & Click to Chat 90K+ · 4.9★ (144)
wp.org #16 9 too low 8 
Mobile Contact Bar 9K+ · 4.6★ (30)
wp.org #9 ↓1 1 too low 9 
GSheetConnector – CF7 Google Sheets Connector & Save CF7 Entries to Database 40K+ · 4.4★ (129)
wp.org #17 ↑2 8 too low 10 
Cool FormKit Lite – Advanced Form Builder for Elementor 20K+ · 4.6★ (25)
wp.org #11 1 too low 11 
Email Encoder – Protect Email Addresses and Phone Numbers 90K+ · 4.9★ (94)
wp.org #21 10 too low 12 Simple Job Board 10K+ · 4.7★ (133)
wp.org #23 11 too low 13 
Snow Monkey Forms 30K+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #7 6 too high 14 
Country Code For Elementor Form Telephone Field 10K+ · 5.0★ (8) thin reviews
wp.org #13 1 too high 15 
ACF Photo Gallery Field 60K+ · 4.0★ (29)
wp.org #20 5 too low 16 
Bolt CTA Button – Floating Call Button for WordPress 2K+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #14 2 too high 17 
Leaving Notice Popup For External Links – nofollow, noopener & New Tab 200+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #15 2 too high 18 
Furgonetka.pl: Przesyłki & Narzędzia e-commerce 7K+ · 2.9★ (14) thin reviews
wp.org #22 4 too low 19 
LinkNate – Contact & Custom Link Shortcodes 30+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews
wp.org #10 9 too high 20 WhatsLink Click Tracker 400+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #8 ↑1 12 too high 21 
Payment Gateway for Telcell 100+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #19 ↓1 2 too high 22 
Whello CS Rotator 30+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #24 2 too low 23 
Mobile Call Buttons 600+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #12 11 too high 24 
Wawp Country Code & Chat Widget for WooCommerce 400+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews
wp.org #18 ↓1 6 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.