Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

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

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 “wifi”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 14 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

Master QR Code Generator – Fast & Easy QR Code Solution shows at wp.org #2 but places #10 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 400+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.0★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Super Progressive Web Apps 40K+ · 4.6★ (225) wp.org #3 2 too low 2 QR Code Composer – Automatic QR code generation 3K+ · 4.2★ (9) wp.org #1 1 too high 3 Qyrr – simply and modern QR-Code creation 2K+ · 3.8★ (21) wp.org #4 1 too low 4 Print Anywhere & Create PDFs of Order Receipts, Invoices, Labels & More. 1K+ · 4.7★ (18) wp.org #5 1 too low 5 Booking Calendar Contact Form 500+ · 3.6★ (32) wp.org #6 1 too low 6 Apocalypse Meow 300+ · 5.0★ (23) wp.org #20 ↓1 14 too low 7 Smart Online Order for Clover 1K+ · 4.9★ (34) wp.org #23 ↓1 16 too low 8 Hyper PWA – Bringing Modern Progressive Web App Experiences 400+ · 4.7★ (12) wp.org #22 ↓1 14 too low 9 Embedder for Google Reviews 6K+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #21 ↓1 12 too low 10 Master QR Code Generator – Fast & Easy QR Code Solution 400+ · 3.0★ (3) wp.org #2 8 too high 11 QR Code Generator & Scanner – Dynamic QR Codes for WordPress 80+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #7 4 too high 12 EffortLess QR Code Generator 30+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #8 4 too high 13 WordPress Store Locator AI powered – Elementor – Fast loading – Local SEO — · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #15 ↓1 2 too low 14 DesignYourQR – QR Code Generator — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #10 4 too high 15 QRotto – QR Code Generator — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #11 4 too high 16 HappyBites – QR Code Food Menu — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #9 7 too high 17 Dazzlebirds Smart QR Manager — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #12 ↓1 5 too high 18 Q Qrexora QR Generator — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #13 5 too high 19 QRuunu – QR Code Generator — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #14 ↓2 5 too high 20 Dynamic QR Code Block – QR Code Generator with Logo Support 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #16 ↓1 4 too high 21 GoValid QR — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 ↓1 4 too high 22 ClickHelm – Click Fraud Protection & Bot Blocking — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #18 ↓1 4 too high 23 Smooth Entree — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #19 ↓1 4 too high 24 Locci Maps — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #24 ↓1

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.