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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “utf8mb4”

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 “utf8mb4”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 14 of the top 20.

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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.

Ranked above its merit

Emoji Guard shows at wp.org #4 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 16 places. Its — installs carry it up the search order; its 0.0★ average from 0 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

3CX Free Live Chat, Calls & Messaging places #5 on merit, 4.6★ from 820 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 Prime Mover – Backup and Migration 10K+ · 5.0★ (141) wp.org #1 2 D Database Collation Fix 1K+ · 5.0★ (21) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 My Calendar – Accessible Event Manager 20K+ · 4.7★ (159) wp.org #8 ↓1 5 too low 4 WP Google Review Slider 30K+ · 4.9★ (373) wp.org #11 ↓2 7 too low 5 3CX Free Live Chat, Calls & Messaging 100K+ · 4.6★ (820) wp.org #15 ↓3 10 too low 6 VikBooking Hotel Booking Engine & PMS 8K+ · 4.8★ (61) wp.org #9 3 too low 7 WP Review Slider 6K+ · 4.8★ (181) wp.org #13 ↓3 6 too low 8 LightMoving UTF8MB4 Converter 10+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #2 6 too high 9 WP Airbnb Review Slider 1K+ · 5.0★ (56) wp.org #12 3 too low 10 VikRentCar Car Rental Management System 4K+ · 4.8★ (30) wp.org #10 11 MoreConvert Wishlist for WooCommerce 8K+ · 4.9★ (120) wp.org #19 8 too low 12 WP TripAdvisor Review Slider 8K+ · 4.8★ (135) wp.org #21 ↓6 9 too low 13 WP Migrate Lite – Migration Made Easy 200K+ · 4.2★ (318) wp.org #24 ↓6 11 too low 14 Podlove Podcast Publisher 3K+ · 4.3★ (45) wp.org #16 ↓3 2 too low 15 WolkTools Dry Run Importer — · 4.7★ (3) wp.org #5 10 too high 16 WP Yelp Review Slider 1K+ · 4.9★ (24) wp.org #23 ↓6 7 too low 17 Review Slider for WooCommerce 400+ · 4.7★ (12) wp.org #18 1 too low 18 Notification Bar, Announcement and Cookie Notice WordPress Plugin – FooBar 3K+ · 4.8★ (10) wp.org #20 ↓6 2 too low 19 VikRentItems Flexible Rental Management System 600+ · 4.0★ (8) wp.org #14 5 too high 20 Emoji Guard — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #4 16 too high 21 Special Text Boxes 1K+ · 3.4★ (21) wp.org #22 ↓6 1 too low 22 wpBara Audit — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #6 16 too high 23 Turbopress Database Diagnostics — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #7 ↑1 16 too high 24 Emoji Toolbar 2K+ · 4.0★ (3) wp.org #17 ↓6 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.