Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

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

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 “vite”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 of the top 20. 2 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

Lordicon shows at wp.org #4 but places #15 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 600+ 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

Dark Mode – Improve Accessibility with AI Powered Dark Theme places #3 on merit, 4.5★ from 391 reviews, but shows at wp.org #14. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 EmbedPress 100K+ · 4.8★ (307) wp.org #3 ↑1 2 too low 2 Vite Coupon 70+ · 4.5★ (2) wp.org #1 1 too high 3 Dark Mode – Improve Accessibility with AI Powered Dark Theme 20K+ · 4.5★ (391) wp.org #14 ↑1 11 too low 4 AjaxPress – SPA & Ajax Navigation with Persistent Audio Player for Radio 100+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #5 1 too low 5 Vite Rewards for Woocommerce 50+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #2 3 too high 6 Yatra – Travel Booking & Tour Operator Software 600+ · 4.7★ (23) wp.org #21 ↑2 15 too low 7 BeyondSEO – AI SEO to Improve Rankings, Listings & Online Visibility 20K+ · 4.0★ (4) wp.org #6 ↑2 1 too high 8 Simple Ebook Viewer 400+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #13 ↑1 5 too low 9 Contact Form to Chat Apps | Click to Chat to Order – FormyChat 3K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #16 ↑1 7 too low 10 Elite Gallery Widget for Elementor 200+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #7 3 too high 11 GPX Route Map 100+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #11 ↑1 12 Coming Soon Maintenance Mode 6K+ · 4.7★ (3) wp.org #12 ↑1 13 Simplify Admin Menus 80+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #8 ↑1 5 too high 14 HTML Page Publisher 500+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #9 ↑1 5 too high 15 Lordicon 600+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #4 ↓1 11 too high 16 PressedMail – Email Client, Inbox & Webmail 100+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #22 ↑2 6 too low 17 Eventnetic – Event Tickets, Booking and Calendar 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #19 ↑2 2 too low 18 Codeideal Open Fields 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #10 ↑1 8 too high 19 Joinotify – WhatsApp Notifications & Marketing Automation 30+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #23 4 too low 20 Wawp Country Code & Chat Widget for WooCommerce 400+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #15 ↑1 5 too high 21 Overedge Connector 30+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 1 too high 22 Easy 3d Model Viewer 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #24 2 too low 23 GetTerms Cookie Consent & Policies 1K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #17 ↑1 6 too high 24 Noted Visual Feedback 90+ · 3.0★ (3) wp.org #18 ↑2 6 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.