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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “verify api”

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 “verify api”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 16 of the top 20. 3 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

Magic API Email shows at wp.org #6 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 14 places. Its 60+ 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.

Buried gem

Customer Reviews for WooCommerce places #9 on merit, 4.8★ from 1539 reviews, but shows at wp.org #24. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI 10M+ · 4.8★ (27821) wp.org #1 2 Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7519) wp.org #2 3 Video Conferencing with Zoom 10K+ · 4.8★ (217) wp.org #5 2 too low 4 UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8708) wp.org #9 5 too low 5 Translate WordPress with GTranslate 900K+ · 4.9★ (4962) wp.org #12 ↓1 7 too low 6 MStore API – Create Native Android & iOS Apps On The Cloud 2K+ · 3.7★ (21) wp.org #3 3 too high 7 CoCart – Headless REST API for WooCommerce 900+ · 4.9★ (21) wp.org #4 3 too high 8 WPVibe – MCP Server for WordPress, works with Claude, ChatGPT & other AI MCP agents 100K+ · 5.0★ (199) wp.org #17 ↓1 9 too low 9 Customer Reviews for WooCommerce 80K+ · 4.8★ (1539) wp.org #24 ↓5 15 too low 10 Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (397) wp.org #20 10 too low 11 BackWPup – WordPress Backup & Restore Plugin 400K+ · 4.0★ (1323) wp.org #18 7 too low 12 hCaptcha for WP 70K+ · 4.6★ (88) wp.org #19 7 too low 13 A API Bearer Auth 300+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #7 ↓1 6 too high 14 Vigilant – 100% Free Security Suite: Firewall, 2FA, Login, Headers, Scanner… 3K+ · 5.0★ (24) wp.org #16 ↑1 2 too low 15 Speed Optimizer – The All-In-One Performance-Boosting Plugin 1M+ · 4.2★ (641) wp.org #23 ↓2 8 too low 16 Age Gate 40K+ · 4.6★ (64) wp.org #22 6 too low 17 Age Verification for your checkout page. Verify your customer’s identity 600+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #8 9 too high 18 Email Deliverability – SMTP Replacement, Email API Deliverability & Email Log 200K+ · 2.5★ (17) wp.org #10 8 too high 19 SiteSEO – SEO Simplified 400K+ · 4.0★ (8) wp.org #15 ↓1 4 too high 20 Magic API Email 60+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #6 ↑1 14 too high 21 AL Pack 4K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #13 8 too high 22 Didit Verify 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #11 ↑1 11 too high 23 Hungry REST API Monitor 30+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #14 ↑1 9 too high 24 A API Mailer for AWS SES 20+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #21 3 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.