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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “vc addon”

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 “vc addon”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 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

Flipbox Addon for WPBakery Page Builder (formerly Visual Composer) shows at wp.org #14 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 200+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

BackUpWordPress places #9 on merit, 4.7★ from 1373 reviews, but shows at wp.org #18. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Extensive VC Addons for WPBakery Page Builder 4K+ · 4.7★ (14) wp.org #1 2 FlexMeeting – Webinar & Meeting Plugin for Jitsi Meet 1K+ · 4.5★ (38) wp.org #4 ↓1 2 too low 3 Cool Timeline (Horizontal & Vertical Timeline) 20K+ · 4.7★ (333) wp.org #9 ↓1 6 too low 4 Web and WooCommerce Addons for WPBakery Builder 1K+ · 4.4★ (7) wp.org #2 ↓1 2 too high 5 NextMove Lite – Thank You Page for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.7★ (150) wp.org #11 ↓1 6 too low 6 Finale Lite – Sales Countdown Timer & Discount for WooCommerce 3K+ · 4.7★ (151) wp.org #10 ↓1 4 too low 7 WC Pickup Store 2K+ · 4.7★ (25) wp.org #7 ↓1 8 Taxonomy Term Listing for Visual Composer 100+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #3 ↓1 5 too high 9 BackUpWordPress 80K+ · 4.7★ (1373) wp.org #18 ↓1 9 too low 10 Passster – Password Protect Pages and Content 10K+ · 4.2★ (60) wp.org #8 ↓1 2 too high 11 CubeWP Framework 3K+ · 4.8★ (12) wp.org #12 ↓1 1 too low 12 ND Shortcodes 20K+ · 3.3★ (13) wp.org #13 ↓1 1 too low 13 MyStyle Custom Product Designer 50+ · 3.9★ (13) wp.org #16 ↓1 3 too low 14 Advanced Ads for WPBakery Page Builder 1K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #5 9 too high 15 Advanced Pricing Addon For Wp Bakery 90+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #6 ↓2 9 too high 16 WP Courseware for WPBakery Page Builder 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 ↓1 1 too low 17 Hover Effects For Visual Composer 100+ · 3.7★ (3) wp.org #21 ↓1 4 too low 18 Testimonial – Addon for WPBakery Page Builder (formerly Visual Composer) 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #19 ↓1 1 too low 19 P Powerful Addons for Visual Composer – Lite — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 ↓1 3 too low 20 S Simple Hover Box for WP Bakery Page Builder 90+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 ↓1 21 Hover Effects Bundle Visual Composer Addon 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 ↓1 2 too low 22 E Elastik Addons for WPBakery 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #24 ↓1 2 too low 23 Image Hotspot With Tooltip For WPBakery Page Builder (formerly Visual Composer) 300+ · 2.0★ (4) wp.org #15 ↓1 8 too high 24 Flipbox Addon for WPBakery Page Builder (formerly Visual Composer) 200+ · 3.0★ (1) wp.org #14 ↓1 10 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.