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

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 “tpl”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 of the top 20. 7 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

MSBD Maintenance Mode shows at wp.org #6 but places #13 on merit, a gap of 7 places. Its — installs carry it up the search order; its 0.0★ average from 0 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Plugin Organizer places #3 on merit, 4.7★ from 227 reviews, but shows at wp.org #9. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

PeproDev Ultimate Invoice 5K+ · 4.8★ (34) wp.org #1 2

WPAdverts – Classifieds Plugin 4K+ · 4.8★ (160) not PHP-current wp.org #7 5 too low 3

Plugin Organizer 10K+ · 4.7★ (227) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #9 6 too low 4

Affiliate Super Assistent 1K+ · 4.6★ (36) wp.org #8 4 too low 5

which template file 4K+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviewsstale but ranked wp.org #3 2 too high 6

WP-Appbox 2K+ · 4.5★ (63) not PHP-current wp.org #10 4 too low 7 P PrestaShop Integration 90+ · 4.6★ (13) throws errorsnot PHP-currentclosure risk thin reviewsstale but ranked wp.org #5 2 too high 8

User Post Collections 20+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews wp.org #2 6 too high 9 E Email verification on signups 100+ · 5.0★ (4) closure risk thin reviewsstale but ranked wp.org #4 5 too high 10

PAYMILL for WordPress 30+ · 4.5★ (16) closure risk thin reviews wp.org #21 11 too low 11

My Downloads Shortcode for WooCommerce 100+ · 5.0★ (7) closure risk thin reviews wp.org #19 8 too low 12

MSBD Maintenance Mode — · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews wp.org #6 7 too high 14

多合一搜索自动推送管理插件-支持Baidu/Google/Bing/IndexNow/Yandex/头条 2K+ · 2.6★ (5) thin reviews wp.org #12 2 too high 15

Popup Banner by gripspace — · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews wp.org #13 2 too high 16

{eac}SoftwareRegistry Distribution SDK — · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews wp.org #15 1 too high 17 F FastoPop — · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews wp.org #16 1 too high 18

A.N.R.GHG Publishing Toolkit 10+ · 0.0★ (0) heavy footprint thin reviews wp.org #17 1 too high 19 N NP Twig: Front End for Custom Field & ACF — · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviews wp.org #18 1 too high 20

Ticketack 10+ · 0.0★ (0) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #14 6 too high 21 T Text Effect Archive Design — · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviews wp.org #20 1 too high 22 P Post types / taxonomies intersections 10+ · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviews wp.org #23 1 too low 23 Y YD Spread Parameter 10+ · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviews wp.org #24 1 too low 24 T Tessa Authorship 10+ · 0.0★ (0) throws errorsnot PHP-currentclosure risk thin reviews wp.org #22 2 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.