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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “unread comments”

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

Roadmap and Feedback Plugin for WordPress – SimpleBoards shows at wp.org #8 but places #16 on merit, a gap of 8 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.

merit plugin wp.org
1 bbp style pack 6K+ · 4.9★ (100) wp.org #1 2 ProfileGrid – User Profiles, Groups and Communities 5K+ · 4.6★ (236) wp.org #4 2 too low 3 wpForo Forum 20K+ · 4.7★ (390) wp.org #5 2 too low 4 Block, Suspend, Report for BuddyPress 500+ · 4.6★ (18) wp.org #2 ↑1 2 too high 5 Secure MCP Server for Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini and other AI Agents 8K+ · 5.0★ (10) wp.org #3 ↓1 2 too high 6 FluentCommunity – Ultra-Fast High-Performance Social Network, Community, LMS & Online Courses 8K+ · 4.8★ (96) wp.org #7 1 too low 7 SureDash – Community, Courses & Member Dashboard 1K+ · 4.3★ (23) wp.org #6 1 too high 8 FluentBoards – Project Management, Task Management, Goal Tracking, Kanban Board, and, Team Collaboration 6K+ · 5.0★ (25) wp.org #16 ↑1 8 too low 9 LazyTasks – Project & Task Management with Collaboration, Kanban and Gantt Chart 90+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #14 5 too low 10 INDIGITALL – Instant Chat, Web Push Notifications 90+ · 4.8★ (12) wp.org #17 ↓1 7 too low 11 EntryDashboard – Database Addon & Sync for WPForms, CF7, Elementor & More 50+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #15 4 too low 12 TimAddons – Submission Log & Automation for Contact Form 7 20+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #13 1 too low 13 Alpaca Issue Tracker 100+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #24 11 too low 14 Quarivo Comment Shield 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #10 4 too high 15 Polanger Contact Chat – Mobile Call Button 100+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #21 ↓1 6 too low 16 Roadmap and Feedback Plugin for WordPress – SimpleBoards 30+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #8 8 too high 17 TodoX — Project & Task Management for WordPress 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #9 8 too high 18 Commandify – Command Palette, Content Search, Themes Control, Product Edits, Context Actions, Dynamic content, Page builders navigation and actions 40+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #23 ↓1 5 too low 19 AFB – Auto Form Builder: Drag & Drop Contact Forms, Multi-Step Forms, Conditional Logic & AI 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #11 8 too high 20 KD Submissions 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #12 8 too high 21 Rusenas CRM 30+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 ↓1 1 too low 22 Polanger VideoHub – Build Your Own Video Platform 40+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #19 ↓1 3 too high 23 Vampire Character Manager 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #20 ↓1 3 too high 24 Ultimate Push Notifications 50+ · 3.0★ (4) wp.org #18 ↑6 6 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.