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

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 “themeforest”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 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

Meks ThemeForest Smart Widget shows at wp.org #2 but places #9 on merit, a gap of 7 places. Its 10K+ 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.

merit plugin wp.org
1 WP Rollback – Rollback Plugins and Themes 300K+ · 4.9★ (215) wp.org #1 2 Use Any Font | Custom Font Uploader 200K+ · 4.7★ (1149) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 NotificationX – FOMO, Live Sales Notification, WooCommerce Sales Popup, GDPR, Social Proof, Announcement Banner & Floating Notification Bar 30K+ · 4.8★ (227) wp.org #6 3 too low 4 DarkLooks – Dark Mode Switcher For WordPress 800+ · 4.8★ (16) wp.org #5 1 too low 5 Content Pilot – Autoblogging & Affiliate Marketing Suite 800+ · 3.6★ (36) wp.org #8 3 too low 6 Datafeedr WooCommerce Importer 5K+ · 4.8★ (38) wp.org #17 ↓1 11 too low 7 Unbounce Landing Pages 10K+ · 3.2★ (11) wp.org #4 3 too high 8 Support Genix – Helpdesk, AI Chatbot, Knowledge Base & Customer Support Ticketing System 2K+ · 4.5★ (10) wp.org #10 2 too low 9 Meks ThemeForest Smart Widget 10K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #2 7 too high 10 Elite Notification – Sales Popup, Social Proof, FOMO Notification for WooCommerce 30+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #12 2 too low 11 Preview Link Generator 100+ · 4.5★ (2) wp.org #9 2 too high 12 StagTools 1K+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #20 8 too low 13 一介資男(Mxp.TW) 開發工具箱 90+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #7 6 too high 14 Feedspace Review Widgets 70+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #11 3 too high 15 Supercharger AI — Ultimate Engagement Toolkit 200+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #13 2 too high 16 Nemesis All-in-One | Newspaper Builder Elementor Extention 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #14 2 too high 17 Plexx Elementor Extension 300+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #15 2 too high 18 OnePage Checkout Lite for WHMCS 40+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #16 ↑1 2 too high 19 PlaceGen — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #18 1 too high 20 ClassPress – Classroom & School Management Plugin for WordPress 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #19 1 too high 21 Vounce AI — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 22 ThemePlus – Modern Theme Options Framework by FrontTheme — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 23 JHMG Converter For WPBakery to Divi 5 — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 24 Licenzo – License and Subscription Management Solution — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #24 ↓1

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.