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

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 “thumbtack”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 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

WP Thumbtack Review Slider shows at wp.org #2 but places #17 on merit, a gap of 15 places. Its 70+ installs carry it up the search order; its 0.0★ average from 0 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

HivePress – Business Directory, Listings & Classified Ads Plugin places #9 on merit, 4.9★ from 222 reviews, but shows at wp.org #16. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Business Directory Plugin – Easy Listing & Member Directories for WordPress 10K+ · 4.6★ (504) wp.org #4 ↑5 3 too low 2 WP Review Slider 6K+ · 4.8★ (181) wp.org #5 ↑1 3 too low 3 WP Google Review Slider 30K+ · 4.9★ (373) wp.org #9 ↑1 6 too low 4 Widgets for Thumbtack Reviews 900+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #1 3 too high 5 Review Slider for WooCommerce 400+ · 4.7★ (12) wp.org #3 ↑1 2 too high 6 Widgets for Airbnb Reviews 6K+ · 4.6★ (60) wp.org #6 ↑6 7 WP Airbnb Review Slider 1K+ · 5.0★ (56) wp.org #7 8 Widgets for Booking.com Reviews 9K+ · 4.9★ (65) wp.org #10 ↓5 2 too low 9 HivePress – Business Directory, Listings & Classified Ads Plugin 10K+ · 4.9★ (222) wp.org #16 ↑4 7 too low 10 WP TripAdvisor Review Slider 8K+ · 4.8★ (135) wp.org #13 ↑1 3 too low 11 WP Tripadvisor Review Widgets 20K+ · 4.1★ (116) wp.org #12 ↑1 1 too low 12 Customer Reviews Collector for WooCommerce 5K+ · 4.7★ (24) wp.org #8 4 too high 13 Widgets for Reviews & Recommendations 8K+ · 4.6★ (98) wp.org #14 ↑1 1 too low 14 Reviews Widgets for Google & 45+ platforms by Repuso 1K+ · 4.8★ (25) wp.org #11 3 too high 15 Widgets for Amazon Reviews 2K+ · 4.0★ (45) wp.org #15 ↑3 16 WP Yelp Review Slider 1K+ · 4.9★ (24) wp.org #17 ↓1 1 too low 17 WP Thumbtack Review Slider 70+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #2 ↑1 15 too high 18 Widgets for Yelp Reviews 3K+ · 3.8★ (10) wp.org #18 ↓1 19 Widgets for Ebay Reviews 500+ · 4.2★ (5) wp.org #19 20 Widgets for Expedia Reviews 100+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #21 1 too low 21 Widgets for Capterra Reviews 100+ · 4.3★ (4) wp.org #22 ↑1 1 too low 22 Widgets for Zillow Reviews 300+ · 3.0★ (4) wp.org #20 ↑2 2 too high 23 Widgets for Opentable Reviews 60+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 ↑1 24 Widgets for Hotels.com Reviews 40+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #24

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.