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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “visual regression”

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 “visual regression”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 15 of the top 20. 1 plugin is 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

WPMissionControl shows at wp.org #7 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 20+ 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

UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin places #8 on merit, 4.8★ from 8706 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 Page Builder by SiteOrigin 400K+ · 4.8★ (1005) wp.org #4 3 too low 2 VRTs – Visual Regression Tests 800+ · 4.6★ (9) wp.org #1 1 too high 3 User Admin Simplifier 10K+ · 5.0★ (31) wp.org #3 4 Translate WordPress with Weglot 2.0 – Multilingual AI Translation 50K+ · 4.8★ (1940) wp.org #8 4 too low 5 Ninja Forms – Contact Form Builder with Calculators, Quizzes, Signatures & AI Form Builder 500K+ · 4.4★ (1397) wp.org #6 1 too low 6 Popup Maker – Boost Sales, Conversions, Optins, Subscribers with the Ultimate WP Popup Builder 600K+ · 4.9★ (4514) wp.org #12 ↑1 6 too low 7 WebChange Detector: Visual Regression Testing & Visual Checks After Updates 300+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #2 5 too high 8 UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8706) wp.org #18 10 too low 9 CheckView – Form & Checkout Testing 1K+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #5 4 too high 10 ThirstyAffiliates – Affiliate Links, Link Branding, Link Tracking & Marketing Plugin 30K+ · 4.6★ (251) wp.org #19 ↑2 9 too low 11 Glossary 2K+ · 4.7★ (84) wp.org #14 3 too low 12 Grids: Layout builder for WordPress 2K+ · 5.0★ (21) wp.org #11 1 too high 13 Logo Slider WP – Responsive Logo Carousel, Logo Gallery & Logo Showcase 10K+ · 4.5★ (61) wp.org #16 ↓1 3 too low 14 Cloudinary – Deliver Images and Videos at Scale 5K+ · 4.0★ (64) wp.org #15 ↑1 1 too low 15 Search, Filters & Merchandising for WooCommerce 200+ · 4.6★ (169) wp.org #24 9 too low 16 Custom Layouts – Post + Product grids made easy 3K+ · 5.0★ (25) wp.org #22 ↑1 6 too low 17 Set Price Note (Units, Offers, Editions) for WooCommerce 600+ · 4.7★ (3) wp.org #10 7 too high 18 Pinterest for WooCommerce 200K+ · 2.3★ (68) wp.org #9 9 too high 19 Fast Etsy Listings 400+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #23 4 too low 20 WPMissionControl 20+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #7 13 too high 21 KineticHub – Animated Blocks 200+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #21 ↑1 22 WebChange Detector for MainWP 30+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #13 ↓1 9 too high 23 Responsive Checker & Device Preview – Mobile Responsive Testing, Simulator & Developer Tools 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 6 too high 24 PatchOn Agent 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #20 4 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.