Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

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

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 “weighted”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 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

Compromise Scanner for wp2shell shows at wp.org #3 but places #9 on merit, a gap of 6 places. Its 2K+ 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

Ultimate Reviews places #12 on merit, 4.1★ from 60 reviews, but shows at wp.org #17. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Advanced Ads – Ad Manager & AdSense 90K+ · 4.9★ (1463) wp.org #1 2 Germanized for WooCommerce 70K+ · 4.8★ (496) wp.org #4 ↓1 2 too low 3 Quiz Cat – WordPress Quiz Plugin 4K+ · 4.7★ (35) wp.org #2 1 too high 4 HD Quiz 6K+ · 4.9★ (145) wp.org #6 ↓1 2 too low 5 Random Content 3K+ · 4.8★ (35) wp.org #7 ↓1 2 too low 6 bbPress Voting 400+ · 4.7★ (10) wp.org #5 ↓1 1 too high 7 AdUnblocker 200+ · 4.8★ (32) wp.org #11 ↓1 4 too low 8 Match Me for BuddyPress & BuddyBoss 200+ · 4.6★ (12) wp.org #8 ↓1 9 Compromise Scanner for wp2shell 2K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #3 ↓2 6 too high 10 Hafenstudios Ads – Ad Manager, AdSense & Banner Ads 100+ · 5.0★ (14) wp.org #15 ↓1 5 too low 11 BotBlocker Security – Complete security platform 3K+ · 5.0★ (10) wp.org #9 ↓1 2 too high 12 Ultimate Reviews 400+ · 4.1★ (60) wp.org #17 5 too low 13 Ad Commander – Ad Manager for Banners, AdSense, Ad Networks 200+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #10 ↓1 3 too high 14 F12 Profiler 400+ · 4.0★ (6) wp.org #13 ↓1 1 too high 15 Lockora Security Audit 200+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #12 ↓1 3 too high 16 PressPrimer Quiz – AI Quiz Maker, Exam Builder & LMS Assessment Plugin 200+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #23 ↓1 7 too low 17 CMS ADMINS Security Check Report 400+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #14 ↓1 3 too high 18 Random Image Block for Block Editor 100+ · 3.8★ (4) wp.org #19 1 too low 19 Stunning Related for Posts, Products, Pages and widgets 60+ · 3.4★ (5) wp.org #18 ↓2 1 too high 20 Simplicity SEO Audit 10+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #24 ↓1 4 too low 21 Pie Forms — Drag & Drop Form Builder 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #20 ↓2 1 too high 22 DevDome Redirect Manager: Link Rotator, Geo Redirect & 302 Redirect 300+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #16 ↓1 6 too high 23 SpamJam – Anti-Spam Protection for Comments & Forms 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 ↓1 2 too high 24 Ravanix – Smart Psychological Assessment 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #22 ↓1 2 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.