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

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 “terminology”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 of the top 20. 2 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

AI Discovery Files – llms.txt & AI Visibility shows at wp.org #12 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 100+ 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

ConveyThis AI Multilingual Translation places #7 on merit, 4.4★ from 145 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 Echo Knowledge Base – Documentation, FAQs, Chat & Smart Search 10K+ · 4.9★ (124) wp.org #1 2 Freesoul Deactivate Plugins – Disable plugins on individual WordPress pages 8K+ · 4.8★ (104) wp.org #8 6 too low 3 Templateberg – Gutenberg Templates, WordPress Themes Template Kits & WordPress Templates 6K+ · 4.3★ (6) wp.org #2 1 too high 4 Linguator – AI Auto Translate & Create Multilingual Sites 3K+ · 4.6★ (20) wp.org #5 1 too low 5 Heroic Glossary – Block for building Glossaries, Dictionaries and more 3K+ · 3.8★ (10) wp.org #3 2 too high 6 JobWP – Job Board Plugin for WordPress | Job Listings, Career Page & Applications 1K+ · 5.0★ (20) wp.org #11 5 too low 7 ConveyThis AI Multilingual Translation 1K+ · 4.4★ (145) wp.org #17 10 too low 8 WProofreader spell & grammar check plugin for WordPress 4K+ · 3.7★ (15) wp.org #6 2 too high 9 AI Translate: Affordable Context-Aware Translation 70+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #10 1 too low 10 Oracle Cards Lite – Interactive Card Deck Plugin for WordPress 300+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #7 3 too high 11 AutoMLP – AI Translation for WPML 100+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #13 2 too low 12 HHG for TranslatePress 1K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #4 8 too high 13 AI Product Search for WooCommerce – Motive Commerce Search 300+ · 4.6★ (10) wp.org #14 1 too low 14 LATW AI Translation for WPML 100+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #19 5 too low 15 Reference Manager for WordPress with Footnotes, Citations, Bibliographies, Tooltips and Glossary 60+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #9 6 too high 16 AI powered Toolbar for writing and translating 30+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #16 17 Returino – Formular de retur for WooCommerce 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #18 1 too low 18 AbyM Consent Banner for Digital Anumati 10+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #20 2 too low 19 LATW Multilingual 10+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #22 3 too low 20 Glossary Tooltip – Highlight Terms & Show Tooltips 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #24 ↓1 4 too low 21 AI Discovery Files – llms.txt & AI Visibility 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #12 9 too high 22 Glossary Index 80+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 1 too high 23 Rename VAT to GST for WooCommerce 100+ · 3.0★ (2) wp.org #15 8 too high 24 Mevabi – Daily Word Puzzle 20+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #23 ↓1 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.