wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “view percent”
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 “view percent”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 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
Computy view percent shows at wp.org #4 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 19 places. Its — 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
Advanced Shipment Tracking for WooCommerce places #9 on merit, 4.5★ from 355 reviews, but shows at wp.org #16. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
GTM4WP – A Google Tag Manager (GTM) plugin for WordPress 700K+ · 4.5★ (155)
wp.org #3 ↓1 2 too low 2 
MapPress – Google Maps, OpenStreetMap & Leaflet 30K+ · 4.7★ (147)
wp.org #5 3 too low 3 
HD Quiz 6K+ · 4.9★ (145)
wp.org #6 ↑1 3 too low 4 
Product Labels, Quick View, Buy Now, Pre-Orders, Frequently Bought Together & More for WooCommerce – Merchant 9K+ · 4.2★ (11) thin reviews
wp.org #2 ↑2 2 too high 5 
Init View Count – AI-Powered, Trending, REST API 80+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #1 4 too high 6 
Quiz Maker by AYS 20K+ · 4.9★ (601)
wp.org #11 ↑12 5 too low 7 
Joinchat – Enhanced “click to chat” 700K+ · 4.7★ (189)
wp.org #7 ↓1 8 
Imagify Image Optimization: Optimize Images | Compress & Convert to WebP/AVIF 900K+ · 4.3★ (1657)
wp.org #9 1 too low 9 Advanced Shipment Tracking for WooCommerce 70K+ · 4.5★ (355)
wp.org #16 ↑1 7 too low 10 
La Sentinelle antispam 3K+ · 5.0★ (21) thin reviews
wp.org #8 2 too high 11 
Stripe Payment Forms by WP Simple Pay – Accept Credit Card Payments + Subscriptions with Stripe 8K+ · 4.4★ (117)
wp.org #12 1 too low 12 
Nelio A/B Testing – AB Tests and Heatmaps for Better Conversion Optimization 4K+ · 4.8★ (99)
wp.org #15 ↓1 3 too low 13 
Simple Calendar – Google Calendar Plugin 50K+ · 3.8★ (397)
wp.org #18 ↓2 5 too low 14 
CP Contact Form with PayPal 800+ · 3.8★ (65)
wp.org #10 4 too high 15 
Pinpoint Booking System – Legacy version 2K+ · 3.6★ (185)
wp.org #13 2 too high 16 
Infinity23 (Formerly Tag Manager) – One Plugin That Replaces All The Rest 20K+ · 4.7★ (53)
wp.org #17 ↑1 1 too low 17 
PDF Poster – Let visitors read PDF’s without leaving the page 20K+ · 4.5★ (149)
wp.org #22 ↓11 5 too low 18 
MotoPress Hotel Booking 10K+ · 3.7★ (65)
wp.org #21 ↓1 3 too low 19 
Product Badge, Label, Countdown Timer for WooCommerce – Sale Booster 5K+ · 4.8★ (30)
wp.org #24 5 too low 20 
WCFM Membership – WooCommerce Memberships for Multivendor Marketplace 10K+ · 4.0★ (25)
wp.org #20 ↓1 21 
Photo Gallery by Ays – Responsive Image Gallery 1K+ · 4.8★ (19) thin reviews
wp.org #23 ↓2 2 too low 22 
Simple Points and Rewards for WooCommerce – Create a Loyalty Program 400+ · 5.0★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #14 ↑1 8 too high 23 Computy view percent — · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #4 ↓1 19 too high 24 
Eventward 400+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #19 ↑3 5 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.