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

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 “walking”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 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 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

Berq Used CSS – Remove Unused CSS Automatically shows at wp.org #6 but places #11 on merit, a gap of 5 places. Its 70+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

BerqWP – All-In-One Optimization for Core Web Vitals, Cache, CDN, Images, CSS & JavaScript places #5 on merit, 4.3★ from 54 reviews, but shows at wp.org #9. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 WooReer 1K+ · 4.1★ (24) wp.org #1 2 iPanorama 360 – Advanced Virtual Tour Builder 4K+ · 4.5★ (31) wp.org #2 3 OS DataHub Maps 200+ · 5.0★ (16) wp.org #4 ↓1 1 too low 4 Logo Showcase – Responsive Logo Carousel, Logo Slider & Logo Grid 5K+ · 4.6★ (10) wp.org #3 ↑1 1 too high 5 BerqWP – All-In-One Optimization for Core Web Vitals, Cache, CDN, Images, CSS & JavaScript 4K+ · 4.3★ (54) wp.org #9 4 too low 6 M Materialis Companion 6K+ · 4.7★ (10) wp.org #5 1 too high 7 Slider Hero with Video Background, Animation 3K+ · 4.8★ (34) wp.org #10 3 too low 8 Local Delivery Drivers for WooCommerce 800+ · 4.3★ (18) wp.org #12 4 too low 9 CodePeople Post Map for Google Maps 3K+ · 4.2★ (31) wp.org #13 4 too low 10 Staff/Employee Business Directory for Active Directory 10+ · 5.0★ (15) wp.org #18 ↓1 8 too low 11 Berq Used CSS – Remove Unused CSS Automatically 70+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #6 ↑2 5 too high 12 Treweler Map Builder 80+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #7 ↓1 5 too high 13 GMap Targeting – Simple Targeting Inside Google Maps 60+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #8 ↓1 5 too high 14 ModuleFest Pet Walker – Pet Walking Business Manager — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #14 15 RP 4U (Maps & Route Planner) 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #11 4 too high 16 BuckyDrop – Branded Dropshipping for WooCommerce 200+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #16 ↓1 17 IS-Google Maps Lite 50+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #20 3 too low 18 PlugoSpeed 70+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #19 1 too low 19 MatrixMap – Google Maps, OpenStreetMap, Store Locator & World Maps 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #15 ↑1 4 too high 20 UltimaTour Operator 40+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #17 ↑1 3 too high 21 Widewalk – Accessibility Toolbar 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 1 too low 22 ShahCalc – Visual Calculator Builder 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 1 too low 23 Freshet Unused Media 30+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #24 1 too low 24 User and Login Management 10+ · 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.