Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

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

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 “upvote”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 of the top 20. 7 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

Comment Link Remove and Other Comment Tools shows at wp.org #3 but places #9 on merit, a gap of 6 places. Its 8K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.1★ average from 15 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

ReviewX – Multi-Criteria Reviews for WooCommerce with Google Reviews & Schema places #10 on merit, 4.5★ from 85 reviews, but shows at wp.org #15. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Simple Link Directory – AI Powered 2K+ · 4.8★ (121) wp.org #1 2 Site Reviews 60K+ · 4.9★ (376) wp.org #2 3 Schema – All In One Schema Rich Snippets 30K+ · 4.0★ (162) wp.org #4 1 too low 4 Echo Knowledge Base – Documentation, FAQs, Chat & Smart Search 10K+ · 4.9★ (124) wp.org #6 ↑1 2 too low 5 Forget Spam Comment 9K+ · 5.0★ (46) wp.org #7 ↓1 2 too low 6 Simple Business Directory – AI Powered 300+ · 4.9★ (62) wp.org #8 2 too low 7 Open User Map – Interactive Leaflet Maps 10K+ · 5.0★ (70) wp.org #10 ↑3 3 too low 8 Lazy Social Comments 900+ · 4.5★ (19) wp.org #5 3 too high 9 Comment Link Remove and Other Comment Tools 8K+ · 4.1★ (15) wp.org #3 6 too high 10 ReviewX – Multi-Criteria Reviews for WooCommerce with Google Reviews & Schema 6K+ · 4.5★ (85) wp.org #15 ↓1 5 too low 11 AI Infographic Maker 600+ · 4.4★ (17) wp.org #9 2 too high 12 Forumax – AI Powered Advanced Community Forum Plugin 500+ · 5.0★ (18) wp.org #18 ↓1 6 too low 13 Hyvor Talk – Comments, Newsletters, Memberships 90+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #11 2 too high 14 ReplyBox – Better WordPress Comments 60+ · 4.8★ (6) wp.org #16 2 too low 15 Changeloger – Changelog, Release Notes, Roadmap & Feature Requests 200+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #14 ↓2 1 too high 16 KnowledgeBase with AI ChatBot HelpDesk – KBx 30+ · 4.6★ (14) wp.org #19 ↓1 3 too low 17 Love Button 50+ · 4.0★ (6) wp.org #12 ↓2 5 too high 18 Easy Content Manager (ECM) – Custom Post Types, Custom Fields & Content Management 100+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #13 5 too high 19 WP Roadmap – Product Feedback Board 100+ · 3.9★ (7) wp.org #17 ↓2 2 too high 20 Bit Connect – Community, Discussion Forum, Feedback & Roadmap 30+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 ↑3 1 too low 21 Applause 30+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 ↓2 1 too low 22 NiroRoadmap – Public Product Roadmap & Kanban Board 30+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #24 ↓1 2 too low 23 Gossiped Comments 90+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 ↓1 3 too high 24 CBX 5 Star Rating & Review 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #23 ↓2 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.