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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “ua code”

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 “ua code”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 15 of the top 20. 2 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

EqualWeb Accessibility shows at wp.org #6 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 4K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

CartFlows – Funnel Builder & Checkout Plugin for WooCommerce places #9 on merit, 4.8★ from 517 reviews, but shows at wp.org #21. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 morkva UA Shipping – Nova Poshta, Ukrposhta, Rozetka, Nova Global 1K+ · 4.9★ (29) wp.org #1 2 HTTP Headers 40K+ · 4.3★ (70) wp.org #3 ↓1 1 too low 3 WP Mail SMTP by WPForms – SMTP for Reliable Email Delivery with Gmail, Outlook, Amazon SES, Brevo, Other SMTP & More 4M+ · 4.8★ (5209) wp.org #10 ↓1 7 too low 4 GA Google Analytics – Connect Google Analytics to WordPress 400K+ · 4.9★ (158) wp.org #8 ↓1 4 too low 5 Wp Tracking Codes 800+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #2 ↓1 3 too high 6 Element Pack Addons for Elementor – MCP & AI-Ready Elementor Widgets, Elementor Templates, Elementor Addons 100K+ · 4.7★ (284) wp.org #13 ↓1 7 too low 7 SilentShield – Captcha & Anti-Spam for WordPress (CF7, WPForms, Elementor, WooCommerce) 10K+ · 4.7★ (24) wp.org #4 ↑1 3 too high 8 Kali Forms — Contact Form & Drag-and-Drop Builder 10K+ · 4.8★ (89) wp.org #11 ↓1 3 too low 9 CartFlows – Funnel Builder & Checkout Plugin for WooCommerce 200K+ · 4.8★ (517) wp.org #21 ↓1 12 too low 10 Fathom Analytics for WP 10K+ · 4.8★ (25) wp.org #16 ↓1 6 too low 11 Analytics Germanized for Google Analytics (GDPR / DSGVO) 7K+ · 4.5★ (27) wp.org #14 ↓1 3 too low 12 CoolClock 1K+ · 4.7★ (15) wp.org #12 ↓1 13 ShareThis Dashboard for Google Analytics 80K+ · 3.6★ (138) wp.org #18 5 too low 14 Datafeedr WooCommerce Importer 4K+ · 4.8★ (38) wp.org #23 ↓1 9 too low 15 Analytics Insights – Google Analytics Dashboard for WordPress 10K+ · 4.6★ (34) wp.org #24 ↓1 9 too low 16 SEO SIMPLE PACK 100K+ · 4.6★ (14) wp.org #22 ↓1 6 too low 17 WP Global Site Tag 7K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #5 ↓2 12 too high 18 Bradmax Player 1K+ · 4.3★ (11) wp.org #17 1 too high 19 EqualWeb Accessibility 4K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #6 ↓2 13 too high 20 Analytics Tracker 900+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #7 ↓1 13 too high 21 BotBlocker Security – Complete security platform 3K+ · 5.0★ (10) wp.org #19 ↓3 2 too high 22 Lightweight Google Analytics 400+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #9 ↓1 13 too high 23 Analytics Head 600+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #15 ↓1 8 too high 24 S Surbma | Premium WP 50+ · 3.0★ (1) wp.org #20 ↓1 4 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.