Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

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

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

Topic SEO Content Optimization Tool shows at wp.org #9 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 1K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.0★ average from 4 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Client Portal : SuiteDash Direct Login places #9 on merit, 4.9★ from 117 reviews, but shows at wp.org #18. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Nextend Social Login and Register 200K+ · 4.9★ (447) wp.org #1 2 WP Job Manager 70K+ · 4.4★ (237) wp.org #2 3 WP Data Access – App Builder for Tables, Forms, Dashboards, Charts & Maps 10K+ · 4.9★ (88) wp.org #3 4 PW WooCommerce Gift Cards 20K+ · 4.7★ (195) wp.org #4 ↑2 5 Job Postings 10K+ · 4.4★ (58) wp.org #5 6 License Manager for WooCommerce 6K+ · 4.6★ (147) wp.org #7 1 too low 7 Post to Google My Business (Google Business Profile) 10K+ · 4.9★ (159) wp.org #14 7 too low 8 Lucky Orange 2K+ · 4.3★ (24) wp.org #6 ↓2 2 too high 9 Client Portal : SuiteDash Direct Login 1K+ · 4.9★ (117) wp.org #18 9 too low 10 SureContact – Newsletters, Email Marketing, Automation, Revenue Tracking & CRM 10K+ · 4.8★ (21) wp.org #11 ↑2 1 too low 11 MyParcel 8K+ · 3.9★ (48) wp.org #10 ↑1 1 too high 12 Gantry 5 Framework 7K+ · 4.6★ (34) wp.org #15 3 too low 13 Kama SpamBlock 4K+ · 5.0★ (17) wp.org #13 ↓1 14 Bulk Page Generator and Mass Page Builder – Page Generator 3K+ · 4.6★ (70) wp.org #23 9 too low 15 Live Rates for ShipStation 400+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #12 ↓2 3 too high 16 Traffic Monitor 900+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #8 8 too high 17 Thumbnails and Featured Images 900+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #16 1 too high 18 Topic SEO Content Optimization Tool 1K+ · 4.0★ (4) wp.org #9 9 too high 19 Simple Points and Rewards for WooCommerce – Create a Loyalty Program 400+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #22 3 too low 20 MotoPress Hotel Booking for Elementor 10K+ · 3.9★ (7) wp.org #17 3 too high 21 Wetterwarner 500+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #24 3 too low 22 Ubersuggest SEO Tools 1K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #20 ↓1 2 too high 23 SmartParallax – Parallax Scroll Effects & Scroll Animations 100+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #21 2 too high 24 REST API Guard 200+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #19 5 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.