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

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 data”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 of the top 20. 3 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

Traffic Monitor shows at wp.org #8 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 900+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

WPVibe – MCP Server for WordPress, works with Claude, ChatGPT & other AI MCP agents places #9 on merit, 5.0★ from 199 reviews, but shows at wp.org #20. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 WP Data Access – App Builder for Tables, Forms, Dashboards, Charts & Maps 10K+ · 4.9★ (88) wp.org #1 2 Nextend Social Login and Register 200K+ · 4.9★ (446) wp.org #2 3 WP Job Manager 70K+ · 4.4★ (237) wp.org #3 4 Job Postings 10K+ · 4.4★ (58) wp.org #4 5 License Manager for WooCommerce 6K+ · 4.6★ (147) wp.org #6 1 too low 6 Lucky Orange 2K+ · 4.3★ (24) wp.org #5 1 too high 7 SureContact – Newsletters, Email Marketing, Automation, Revenue Tracking & CRM 10K+ · 4.8★ (21) wp.org #7 ↑1 8 Post to Google My Business (Google Business Profile) 10K+ · 4.9★ (159) wp.org #12 4 too low 9 WPVibe – MCP Server for WordPress, works with Claude, ChatGPT & other AI MCP agents 100K+ · 5.0★ (199) wp.org #20 ↓2 11 too low 10 Donation Platform for WooCommerce: Fundraising & Donation Management 7K+ · 4.9★ (99) wp.org #18 ↓4 8 too low 11 Kama SpamBlock 4K+ · 5.0★ (17) wp.org #10 ↑1 1 too high 12 Gantry 5 Framework 7K+ · 4.6★ (34) wp.org #13 1 too low 13 FluentCart A New Era of eCommerce – Faster, Lighter, and Simpler 9K+ · 4.5★ (46) wp.org #14 ↑2 1 too low 14 Mail Mint – Email Marketing, Automation & WooCommerce Emails with AI Assistance 4K+ · 4.7★ (125) wp.org #23 9 too low 15 Bulk Page Generator and Mass Page Builder – Page Generator 3K+ · 4.6★ (70) wp.org #16 ↑1 1 too low 16 MyParcel 8K+ · 3.9★ (48) wp.org #11 ↓1 5 too high 17 Address Autocomplete Anything – Google Address Autocomplete for Any Form 900+ · 5.0★ (16) wp.org #21 ↑1 4 too low 18 Live Rates for ShipStation 400+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #9 9 too high 19 Traffic Monitor 900+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #8 ↓1 11 too high 20 Wetterwarner 500+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #15 5 too high 21 Simple Points and Rewards for WooCommerce – Create a Loyalty Program 400+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #19 ↑2 2 too high 22 Advanced H2H for SportsPress 200+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #22 ↑1 23 Ubersuggest SEO Tools 1K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #17 ↑2 6 too high 24 Repeater2Template Widget for ACF Repeater and Elementor 100+ · 5.0★ (6) 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.