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← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “template oriented”

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

Mailster WordPress Newsletter Plugin shows at wp.org #5 but places #17 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 7K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.5★ average from 8 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Video Gallery – YouTube Gallery, Vimeo, Video Portfolio, Image Portfolio and Image Gallery places #11 on merit, 4.8★ from 182 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 GTM4WP – A Google Tag Manager (GTM) plugin for WordPress 700K+ · 4.5★ (155) wp.org #1 2 GiveWP – Donation Plugin and Fundraising Platform 100K+ · 4.6★ (708) wp.org #2 3 Product Addons for Woocommerce – Product Options with Custom Fields 30K+ · 4.9★ (474) wp.org #9 ↓1 6 too low 4 Affiliates 2K+ · 4.5★ (137) wp.org #7 3 too low 5 Getwid – Gutenberg Blocks 50K+ · 4.7★ (115) wp.org #8 ↑1 3 too low 6 Directorist: AI-Powered Business Directory, Listings & Classified Ads 20K+ · 4.6★ (698) wp.org #14 ↑2 8 too low 7 Kadence Security – Password, Two Factor Authentication, and Brute Force Protection 700K+ · 4.6★ (3992) wp.org #15 ↓1 8 too low 8 Wicked Folders – Folder Organizer for Pages, Posts, and Custom Post Types 20K+ · 4.9★ (56) wp.org #12 4 too low 9 Musician’s Pack for Elementor – Music Website Widgets & Templates 400+ · 4.3★ (6) wp.org #3 6 too high 10 Stratum Widgets for Elementor 20K+ · 4.5★ (12) wp.org #6 4 too high 11 Video Gallery – YouTube Gallery, Vimeo, Video Portfolio, Image Portfolio and Image Gallery 10K+ · 4.8★ (182) wp.org #23 12 too low 12 SlingBlocks – Gutenberg Blocks by FunnelKit (Formerly WooFunnels) 6K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #4 8 too high 13 Custom Add to Cart Button Label and Link for WooCommerce 2K+ · 4.6★ (27) wp.org #13 14 FluentCart A New Era of eCommerce – Faster, Lighter, and Simpler 9K+ · 4.5★ (46) wp.org #16 ↑3 2 too low 15 Smart COD for WooCommerce 30K+ · 4.6★ (52) wp.org #20 5 too low 16 Exclusive Addons for Elementor 50K+ · 4.7★ (47) wp.org #21 5 too low 17 Mailster WordPress Newsletter Plugin 7K+ · 3.5★ (8) wp.org #5 12 too high 18 Generate PDF using Contact Form 7 4K+ · 4.7★ (40) wp.org #19 ↓1 1 too low 19 TableKit – WordPress Table Builder for Data Tables, WooCommerce Product Tables & Post Tables 3K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #11 8 too high 20 Captivate Sync 1K+ · 3.2★ (10) wp.org #24 4 too low 21 TOFU (Template-Oriented Form Utilities) — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #10 11 too high 22 Qode Essential Addons 10K+ · 2.8★ (6) wp.org #22 23 LAPDI Easy Dev Framework 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #17 ↓2 6 too high 24 SMTP for Contact Form 7 1K+ · 4.0★ (2) 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.