Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

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

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 “unconfirmed”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 5 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

Hochzeit Geschenkeliste shows at wp.org #7 but places #11 on merit, a gap of 4 places. Its — 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

Newsletter – Send awesome emails from WordPress places #6 on merit, 4.6★ from 1205 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 Back In Stock Notifier for WooCommerce | WooCommerce Waitlist Pro 20K+ · 4.7★ (122) wp.org #1 ↑1 2 Double Opt-In for Contact Form 7 – Secure, GDPR-Compliant Email Verification 1K+ · 5.0★ (9) wp.org #2 ↓1 3 WP BASE Booking of Appointments, Services and Events 100+ · 4.9★ (34) wp.org #6 3 too low 4 U Unconfirmed 1K+ · 4.5★ (47) wp.org #4 5 Byteplant Phone Validator 100+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #3 2 too high 6 Newsletter – Send awesome emails from WordPress 200K+ · 4.6★ (1205) wp.org #21 ↓3 15 too low 7 WP User Signups 30+ · 3.7★ (3) wp.org #5 2 too high 8 NXT Cloud Chat – CRM, Inbox & OTP Login 30+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #10 2 too low 9 QuickSync: Inventory & Order Sync — · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #12 3 too low 10 Plindor Shield for WooCommerce 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #8 2 too high 11 Hochzeit Geschenkeliste — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #7 4 too high 12 PowerSEC – Firewall, Malware Scanner, Login Security & Backup 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #9 3 too high 13 Email Validator for Comments 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #13 14 M MADigital COD Manager for WooCommerce — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #14 15 Activity Track – User Activity Log & Security Monitor 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #11 4 too high 16 MakeTrend AI Crawlers — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #15 1 too high 17 PufferSights – AI Crawler Insights 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #16 ↓1 1 too high 18 ClickClue – Session Replay — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 1 too high 19 Dispatchable Order Verification for WooCommerce — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #18 ↓2 1 too high 20 VuloMail – SMTP, Email Logs & SMS Notifications 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #19 1 too high 21 Nahnu Login Shield 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 ↓3 1 too high 22 FeatureQuest Roadmap & Voting Board — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 ↓3 1 too low 23 Elastic Email Inbox Live Chat — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #24 ↓3 1 too low 24 S Sawir Restock Notifier for WooCommerce — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #22 ↓3 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.