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

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 “timthumb”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 6 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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.

Ranked above its merit

IGIT Related Posts and Post Nudges shows at wp.org #7 but places #17 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 100+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.5★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Gallery – Photo Albums Plugin places #7 on merit, 3.8★ from 277 reviews, but shows at wp.org #12. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

Anti-Malware Security and Brute-Force Firewall 100K+ · 4.9★ (783) wp.org #1 2

MalCare WordPress Security Plugin – Malware Scanner, Cleaner, Security Firewall 100K+ · 4.4★ (559) wp.org #2 3

Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5040) wp.org #4 1 too low 4

Slideshow Gallery LITE 5K+ · 4.6★ (743) wp.org #5 1 too low 5

Gallery PhotoBlocks 3K+ · 5.0★ (76) wp.org #6 1 too low 6

SAR One Click Security 200+ · 5.0★ (7) thin reviewsstale but ranked wp.org #3 3 too high 7

Gallery – Photo Albums Plugin 2K+ · 3.8★ (277) wp.org #12 5 too low 8 U Ultimate Posts Widget 10K+ · 4.5★ (55) closure risk wp.org #11 3 too low 9

InPost Gallery 700+ · 4.0★ (18) thin reviews wp.org #8 1 too high 10 V Visual Recipe Index 300+ · 4.4★ (10) thin reviews wp.org #9 1 too high 11

Image Slider 4K+ · 3.4★ (31) wp.org #10 1 too high 12 U User Avatar 3K+ · 4.0★ (26) closure risk wp.org #13 1 too low 13 A Advanced Recent Posts Widget 1K+ · 4.3★ (14) closure risk thin reviews wp.org #14 1 too low 14

Gauntlet Security 50+ · 5.0★ (8) closure risk thin reviews wp.org #15 1 too low 15 E Exploit Scanner 8K+ · 3.2★ (40) closure risk wp.org #19 4 too low 16 N NextGen NivoSlider 200+ · 3.5★ (8) closure risk thin reviews wp.org #20 4 too low 17

WP Category Thumbnail 40+ · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviews wp.org #16 2 too high 19 K Klan1 WP List Subpages 10+ · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviews wp.org #17 2 too high 20 K Klan1 Common WP Functions 10+ · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviews wp.org #18 2 too high 21 S SB Uploader 30+ · 5.0★ (1) closure risk thin reviews wp.org #21 22 A AppStore Lookup for WordPress 10+ · 5.0★ (1) closure risk thin reviews wp.org #22 23

Add New Default Avatar [Emrikol's Fork] 10+ · 5.0★ (1) closure risk thin reviews wp.org #23

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.