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

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 “underline”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 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.

Ranked above its merit

LIQUID BLOCKS – Slider, Carousel, Accordion shows at wp.org #4 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 15 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

My Sticky Bar – Floating Notification Bar & Sticky Header (formerly myStickymenu) places #5 on merit, 4.9★ from 1198 reviews, but shows at wp.org #13. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Re-add text underline and justify 50K+ · 4.7★ (25) wp.org #1 2 Unlimited Elements for Elementor 300K+ · 4.8★ (522) wp.org #3 ↑2 1 too low 3 Portfolio Filter Gallery – Photo Gallery 20K+ · 4.8★ (348) wp.org #9 6 too low 4 Options for Twenty Seventeen 8K+ · 4.8★ (57) wp.org #6 2 too low 5 My Sticky Bar – Floating Notification Bar & Sticky Header (formerly myStickymenu) 100K+ · 4.9★ (1198) wp.org #13 ↓2 8 too low 6 Image Hover Effects – Elementor Addon 40K+ · 4.9★ (83) wp.org #8 2 too low 7 Options for Twenty Twenty-One 6K+ · 4.9★ (64) wp.org #7 8 Twentig Supercharged Block Editor – Blocks, Patterns, Starter Sites, Portfolio 20K+ · 4.9★ (171) wp.org #10 2 too low 9 RichText Extension 900+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #2 7 too high 10 Team Members – Multi Language Supported Team Plugin 6K+ · 5.0★ (85) wp.org #14 4 too low 11 Visual Composer Website Builder 40K+ · 4.6★ (220) wp.org #19 ↓1 8 too low 12 HappyAddons for Elementor – 160 Elementor Widgets, GSAP Animations & Templates 400K+ · 4.8★ (488) wp.org #18 ↓2 6 too low 13 Options for Twenty Twenty 3K+ · 4.7★ (31) wp.org #20 ↓3 7 too low 14 Responsive Tabs — Horizontal, Vertical & Accordion Tabs for WordPress 2K+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #11 3 too high 15 PRyC WP: TinyMCE more buttons 1K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #5 ↓1 10 too high 16 SmartDoc to Post Importer 300+ · 4.5★ (8) wp.org #15 1 too high 17 Plover Kit – Blocks, Patterns, Responsive Layout and Gutenberg Editor Enhancements 3K+ · 4.2★ (5) wp.org #17 ↓3 18 Magic Tooltips For Contact Form 7 700+ · 4.7★ (3) wp.org #12 6 too high 19 LIQUID BLOCKS – Slider, Carousel, Accordion 4K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #4 ↓1 15 too high 20 UnoDock – Mobile Bottom Navigation 600+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #24 ↓2 4 too low 21 Text Case Converter 300+ · 4.0★ (4) wp.org #16 ↓3 5 too high 22 Online Indicator For Twitch 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #22 ↓3 23 LMSCrafter Gradient Text for Elementor 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #21 2 too high 24 Sitelinx Accessibility Lite 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 ↓3 1 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.