Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

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

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 “total”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 14 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.

A

Ranked above its merit

Automatic Cache Flusher for W3 Total Cache shows at wp.org #3 but places #17 on merit, a gap of 14 places. Its 4K+ 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

Rich Showcase for Google Reviews places #6 on merit, 4.9★ from 1623 reviews, but shows at wp.org #23. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 W3 Total Cache 900K+ · 4.4★ (5420) wp.org #1 2 Code Snippets 1M+ · 4.7★ (510) wp.org #2 3 Total Upkeep – WordPress Backup Plugin plus Restore & Migrate by BoldGrid 40K+ · 4.8★ (442) wp.org #6 ↓1 3 too low 4 Checkout Field Editor (Checkout Manager) for WooCommerce 400K+ · 4.9★ (1056) wp.org #16 12 too low 5 Weight Based Shipping for WooCommerce 50K+ · 4.6★ (83) wp.org #11 6 too low 6 Rich Showcase for Google Reviews 100K+ · 4.9★ (1623) wp.org #23 17 too low 7 Post SMTP – Complete Email Delivery and SMTP Solution with Email Logs, Alerts, Backup SMTP & Mobile App 300K+ · 4.7★ (528) wp.org #19 ↓6 12 too low 8 bbPress 100K+ · 3.9★ (343) wp.org #14 6 too low 9 Total Sales Counts for WooCommerce 700+ · 4.8★ (11) wp.org #4 5 too high 10 WP Fast Total Search – The Power of Indexed Search 1K+ · 4.4★ (28) wp.org #9 1 too high 11 BrikPanel: WooCommerce Dashboard & Analytics, Abandoned Cart Recovery, Order Export, Inventory Management & Bulk Editor 1K+ · 5.0★ (55) wp.org #13 ↑2 2 too low 12 Discount Rules and Dynamic Pricing for WooCommerce 9K+ · 4.7★ (248) wp.org #22 10 too low 13 Wallet for WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.7★ (188) wp.org #24 11 too low 14 Cart Weight for WooCommerce 1K+ · 5.0★ (13) wp.org #15 ↑9 1 too low 15 JetHost Total Care – Security & Enhancements 1K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #5 ↑1 10 too high 16 Ocean Extra 400K+ · 3.3★ (67) wp.org #20 ↓1 4 too low 17 A Automatic Cache Flusher for W3 Total Cache 4K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #3 14 too high 18 F4 Total Stock Value for WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.0★ (4) wp.org #7 ↑1 11 too high 19 Page Visits Counter – Lite 5K+ · 4.0★ (7) wp.org #18 ↓1 1 too high 20 Single Product Total for WooCommerce 80+ · 4.5★ (4) wp.org #8 ↓1 12 too high 21 T Term Based Dynamic Post Templates for Total 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #10 11 too high 22 Total CrUX 20+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #12 10 too high 23 GamiPress – WooCommerce Points Per Purchase Total 400+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 ↑1 6 too high 24 ClearSale Total 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 ↑1 3 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.