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

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 “titled”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 of the top 20. 1 plugin is 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

Logo Per Page shows at wp.org #5 but places #17 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 100+ 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

Tabby Responsive Tabs places #3 on merit, 4.9★ from 144 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 wp.org
1 List categories 5K+ · 4.5★ (15) wp.org #1 2 Prime Slider – Hero Slider, Carousel, WooCommerce & Post Slider Elementor Addons 100K+ · 4.5★ (82) wp.org #8 6 too low 3 Tabby Responsive Tabs 10K+ · 4.9★ (144) wp.org #12 9 too low 4 Editoria11y Accessibility Checker 1K+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #3 1 too high 5 A Add Custom Header Images 400+ · 4.7★ (3) wp.org #2 3 too high 6 Rename Media Files: Improve Your SEO 8K+ · 4.8★ (40) wp.org #10 4 too low 7 Patreon WordPress 3K+ · 3.4★ (55) wp.org #7 8 Code Embed 10K+ · 4.4★ (45) wp.org #9 1 too low 9 Auto Tag Creator – Automatic Tags for Posts and WooCommerce Products 1K+ · 4.5★ (4) wp.org #4 5 too high 10 Radio Station by netmix® – Manage and play your Show Schedule in WordPress! 1K+ · 4.6★ (30) wp.org #14 4 too low 11 Accessible Carousel & Slider – WCAG AA Compliant Slideshow 500+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #6 5 too high 12 BuddyPress Registration Groups 100+ · 4.9★ (7) wp.org #13 1 too low 13 WP Frontend Profile 100+ · 4.3★ (9) wp.org #11 2 too high 14 Add-on Contact Form 7 – MailPoet 3 3K+ · 3.9★ (16) wp.org #20 6 too low 15 FileDeck – Document Library & Download Manager 100+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #16 1 too low 16 Easy Responsive Test 10+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #15 1 too high 17 Logo Per Page 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #5 12 too high 18 MHM Currency Switcher 10+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #23 5 too low 19 Cubix AI Article Generator 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 2 too high 20 Thenaynhe Watermark 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #19 1 too high 21 Map in Each Post – Add interactive maps to every post 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 22 Player Transfers for SportsPress 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 23 DWBooster Integration for Calculated Fields Form with Google Calendar — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #24 ↓1 1 too low 24 Metabase – Post & User Meta Editor 200+ · 4.0★ (2) wp.org #18 6 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.