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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “user timezone”

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 “user timezone”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 15 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

User IP and Location shows at wp.org #4 but places #13 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 3K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.2★ average from 9 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance places #10 on merit, 4.8★ from 2617 reviews, but shows at wp.org #19. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 User Profile Builder – Beautiful User Registration Forms, User Profiles & User Role Editor 40K+ · 4.7★ (738) wp.org #1 2 Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) wp.org #5 3 too low 3 User Login History 10K+ · 4.6★ (29) wp.org #2 1 too high 4 Online Active Users 2K+ · 4.7★ (51) wp.org #6 2 too low 5 Events Manager – Calendar, Bookings, Tickets, Appointments and more! 60K+ · 4.2★ (551) wp.org #8 3 too low 6 The Events Calendar 600K+ · 4.2★ (2461) wp.org #12 ↑1 6 too low 7 WP Crontrol 300K+ · 4.4★ (167) wp.org #10 ↑1 3 too low 8 Users Registration Date – Sortable Users Column 3K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #3 5 too high 9 All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720) wp.org #15 ↑1 6 too low 10 WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance 1M+ · 4.8★ (2617) wp.org #19 ↑1 9 too low 11 HurryTimer – An Scarcity and Urgency Countdown Timer for WordPress & WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.8★ (170) wp.org #16 ↑8 5 too low 12 WP Social Ninja – Embed Social Feeds, User Reviews & Chat Widgets 30K+ · 4.8★ (71) wp.org #13 ↑2 1 too low 13 User IP and Location 3K+ · 4.2★ (9) wp.org #4 9 too high 14 Fluent Forms – Customizable Contact Forms, Survey, Quiz, & Conversational Form Builder 800K+ · 4.8★ (807) wp.org #21 ↓3 7 too low 15 Hustle – Email Marketing, Lead Generation, Optins, Popups 80K+ · 4.4★ (859) wp.org #24 9 too low 16 User Activity Tracking and Log 2K+ · 3.5★ (34) wp.org #7 9 too high 17 WP User Profiles 200+ · 4.3★ (19) wp.org #9 ↑1 8 too high 18 WP User Activity 200+ · 3.3★ (8) wp.org #11 ↑1 7 too high 19 Dynamic Year Block 2K+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #22 3 too low 20 Simple Google Calendar Outlook Events Widget 1K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #20 ↑1 21 User Location and IP 300+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #17 4 too high 22 Users Bulk Delete With Preview 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #18 ↑1 4 too high 23 User Supersearch 20+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #14 9 too high 24 iiTech Global Language & Timezone — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #23 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.