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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “ultimate preloader”

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 “ultimate preloader”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 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

VenoBox – Lightweight & Responsive Lightbox Plugin shows at wp.org #7 but places #15 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 200+ 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.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Preloader 10K+ · 4.1★ (41) wp.org #1 2 Ultimate Before After Image Slider & Gallery – BEAF 30K+ · 4.9★ (107) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance 1M+ · 4.8★ (2617) wp.org #6 3 too low 4 Ultimate FAQ Solution 600+ · 4.9★ (9) wp.org #2 2 too high 5 Ocean Extra 400K+ · 3.3★ (67) wp.org #4 1 too high 6 Tarot, Oracle cards, Tarot readings, Tarokina 300+ · 5.0★ (22) wp.org #12 ↑1 6 too low 7 UiCore Animate – Free Animations, Transitions, and Interactions Addon for Elementor & Gutenberg blocks 40K+ · 3.2★ (10) wp.org #5 2 too high 8 ForumWP – Forum & Discussion Board 800+ · 3.6★ (12) wp.org #9 1 too low 9 HT Slider For Elementor 20K+ · 3.8★ (12) wp.org #11 ↑1 2 too low 10 Beans · Loyalty and Rewards programs for Woocommerce 40+ · 3.8★ (22) wp.org #19 9 too low 11 P Page Loading Effects 2K+ · 4.9★ (11) wp.org #21 10 too low 12 Ultimate Infinite Scroll, AJAX Lazy load Plugin for Posts & Woocommerce 300+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #8 4 too high 13 PrimeKit Addons and Templates 70+ · 4.9★ (7) wp.org #13 ↑1 14 Shopready – Elementor addons for WooCommerce Page Builder 100+ · 4.4★ (13) wp.org #20 6 too low 15 VenoBox – Lightweight & Responsive Lightbox Plugin 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #7 8 too high 16 Ultimate 3D Testimonial Slider, List & Grid 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #10 6 too high 17 Inspect HTTP Requests 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #18 1 too low 18 Riverty Payments for Woocommerce 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #17 1 too high 19 ExtenderX – Accessibility Toolbar, Dark Mode & Site Tools 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #16 3 too high 20 King Addons for Elementor – 100+ Elementor Widgets, 4 000+ Elementor Templates, WooCommerce Builder, Mega Menu, Popup Builder 10K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #14 ↓3 6 too high 21 Redesignee – Elementor Addons & Gutenberg Blocks Library 60+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #15 6 too high 22 Ultimate WordPress Preloader 40+ · 2.9★ (8) wp.org #23 1 too low 23 ICDSoft Reseller Store 80+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 1 too high 24 Client and Product Testimonials 30+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #24

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.