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

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 “theming”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 of the top 20. 5 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

SNORDIAN’s H5P Themer shows at wp.org #6 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 14 places. Its 60+ 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

Team Members – A WordPress Team Plugin with Gallery, Grid, Carousel, Slider, Table, List, and More places #11 on merit, 4.7★ from 91 reviews, but shows at wp.org #21. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 GiveWP – Donation Plugin and Fundraising Platform 100K+ · 4.6★ (708) wp.org #1 2 HivePress – Business Directory, Listings & Classified Ads Plugin 10K+ · 4.9★ (222) wp.org #7 5 too low 3 Joli Table Of Contents – Table of Contents with Gutenberg Block & Shortcode 7K+ · 4.9★ (43) wp.org #5 2 too low 4 AlphaListing 600+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #2 2 too high 5 Private Google Calendars 1K+ · 4.8★ (23) wp.org #4 1 too high 6 Podlove Web Player 4K+ · 3.7★ (14) wp.org #3 3 too high 7 Logo Slider – Logo Showcase, Logo Carousel, Logo Gallery and Client Logo Presentation 30K+ · 4.7★ (252) wp.org #10 3 too low 8 PDF Poster – Let visitors read PDF’s without leaving the page 20K+ · 4.5★ (149) wp.org #15 7 too low 9 Team Members Showcase 4K+ · 4.9★ (21) wp.org #11 2 too low 10 IdeaPush 700+ · 4.5★ (31) wp.org #8 2 too high 11 Team Members – A WordPress Team Plugin with Gallery, Grid, Carousel, Slider, Table, List, and More 2K+ · 4.7★ (91) wp.org #21 10 too low 12 GS Books Showcase – Display Books in Grid, Slider & More | Library for WordPress 500+ · 4.8★ (42) wp.org #24 12 too low 13 B Book Review Library 200+ · 4.8★ (16) wp.org #16 3 too low 14 Yatra – Travel Booking & Tour Operator Software 600+ · 4.7★ (23) wp.org #23 9 too low 15 Intro Tour Tutorial DeepPresentation 200+ · 4.8★ (24) wp.org #19 4 too low 16 Medical Before After Gallery 30+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #14 2 too high 17 Double Youpï Refined Admin Dashboard – Admin Theme with Dark Mode & Media Folders 70+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #18 1 too low 18 ST Elementor Addons 500+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #9 9 too high 19 S Simple RSVP 50+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #12 7 too high 20 SNORDIAN’s H5P Themer 60+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #6 14 too high 21 Sleek Compare 10+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #22 1 too low 22 Advanced Gallery & Repeater Fields for ACF 700+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #13 9 too high 23 AI Marketing Expert — AI Email Marketing, AI Content Generator, SEO Analyzer, AI Workflow Automation, Social Media & Ai Chatbot 2K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #17 6 too high 24 Business Hours & Holiday Schedule Manager 100+ · 4.0★ (1) wp.org #20 4 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.