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← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “universal profiles”

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 “universal profiles”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 14 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

Gatekeep – Universal CAPTCHA & Anti-Spam for All Forms & Comments shows at wp.org #11 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 30+ 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

Frontend Dashboard places #12 on merit, 4.9★ from 136 reviews, but shows at wp.org #24. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 WP 2FA – Two-factor authentication for WordPress 100K+ · 4.7★ (184) wp.org #1 ↑3 2 AddToAny Share Buttons 300K+ · 4.7★ (1114) wp.org #2 3 Better Messages – Chat Rooms, Group Chat, Private Messages & AI Chat Bots 10K+ · 4.8★ (142) wp.org #4 ↑1 1 too low 4 WP Socializer – Simple & Easy Social Media Share Icons 10K+ · 4.5★ (128) wp.org #6 ↑1 2 too low 5 wpDataTables – WordPress Data Table, Dynamic Tables & Table Charts Plugin 60K+ · 4.5★ (449) wp.org #10 5 too low 6 WPZOOM Connect: Social Icons Widget & Block, Share Buttons & Click to Chat 90K+ · 4.9★ (144) wp.org #9 ↑10 3 too low 7 Form Vibes – Save Contact Form 7 & Elementor Form Entries to Database 10K+ · 4.9★ (132) wp.org #12 ↓1 5 too low 8 Directorist: AI-Powered Business Directory, Listings & Classified Ads 20K+ · 4.6★ (698) wp.org #13 ↑1 5 too low 9 User Switching 200K+ · 4.9★ (238) wp.org #16 7 too low 10 Nelio Content – Editorial Calendar & Social Media Auto-Posting 3K+ · 4.4★ (104) wp.org #15 5 too low 11 VK All in One Expansion Unit 100K+ · 4.0★ (7) wp.org #3 8 too high 12 Frontend Dashboard 500+ · 4.9★ (136) wp.org #24 12 too low 13 Social Login, Social Sharing by miniOrange 10K+ · 4.6★ (356) wp.org #20 ↓3 7 too low 14 WP-Appbox 2K+ · 4.5★ (63) wp.org #18 4 too low 15 Universal Google Adsense and Ads manager 2K+ · 4.6★ (5) wp.org #5 ↑1 10 too high 16 MPG – Multiple Page Generator, Bulk Landing Pages & Programmatic SEO 2K+ · 3.9★ (27) wp.org #17 ↓4 1 too low 17 Info Cards – Add Text and Media in Card Layouts 2K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #7 ↑1 10 too high 18 Universal Reviews – Ratings, Review Forms, Google Reviews, Social-Proof — · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #8 ↑1 10 too high 19 Coming Soon Maintenance Mode 6K+ · 4.7★ (3) wp.org #19 ↑2 20 Marquee Addons for Elementor – Essential Motion Widgets & Templates 20K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #23 3 too low 21 Candy Social Widget 200+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #14 ↓2 7 too high 22 Gatekeep – Universal CAPTCHA & Anti-Spam for All Forms & Comments 30+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #11 ↑11 11 too high 23 SimpleSocial 100+ · 3.0★ (2) wp.org #21 ↓1 2 too high 24 aThemes Blocks 7K+ · 1.0★ (1) wp.org #22 ↑1 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.