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

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 “university”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 6 of the top 20. 4 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

Dream University Management shows at wp.org #8 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 14 places. Its 10+ 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

Registrations for the Events Calendar – Event Registration Plugin places #12 on merit, 5.0★ from 103 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 All-in-One WP Migration and Backup 5M+ · 4.5★ (7676) wp.org #1 2 The Events Calendar 600K+ · 4.2★ (2461) wp.org #2 3 Events Manager – Calendar, Bookings, Tickets, Appointments and more! 60K+ · 4.2★ (551) wp.org #4 1 too low 4 Masteriyo LMS – LMS Course Builder, Quizzes & Certificates 6K+ · 4.8★ (184) wp.org #3 1 too high 5 SAML Single Sign On – SSO Login 10K+ · 4.9★ (402) wp.org #7 ↑2 2 too low 6 The Events Calendar Shortcode & Block 10K+ · 4.7★ (101) wp.org #5 ↑1 1 too high 7 Event Tickets and Registration 90K+ · 3.5★ (236) wp.org #6 ↓1 1 too high 8 Business Directory Plugin – Easy Listing & Member Directories for WordPress 10K+ · 4.6★ (504) wp.org #14 6 too low 9 Regenerate Thumbnails 1M+ · 4.6★ (396) wp.org #10 1 too low 10 Authorizer 6K+ · 5.0★ (20) wp.org #9 ↓2 1 too high 11 I IP Based Login 500+ · 4.9★ (23) wp.org #11 12 Registrations for the Events Calendar – Event Registration Plugin 7K+ · 5.0★ (103) wp.org #21 ↑1 9 too low 13 LearnPress – WordPress LMS Plugin for Create and Sell Online Courses 70K+ · 4.3★ (597) wp.org #22 ↓2 9 too low 14 WP Cassify 900+ · 5.0★ (16) wp.org #19 ↑2 5 too low 15 CatFolders Document Gallery & PDF Library 3K+ · 4.5★ (15) wp.org #16 ↑2 1 too low 16 Disable User Login 6K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #12 4 too high 17 Tockify Events Calendar 2K+ · 4.5★ (20) wp.org #15 2 too high 18 ANAC XML Viewer 1K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #13 5 too high 19 Team Showcase – Responsive Team Members Grid, Slider & Carousel Plugin 2K+ · 3.4★ (24) wp.org #18 ↑1 1 too high 20 24TT Document Verifier 100+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #20 ↓3 21 Amministrazione Aperta 200+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #24 ↓1 3 too low 22 Dream University Management 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #8 14 too high 23 Academic Certificate Verification – Certificate Management & Certificate Validator 70+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #23 ↑1 24 Papex University Schedule 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 ↓1 7 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.