wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “wiki link”
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 “wiki link”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 7 of the top 20. 3 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
Awin Publisher MasterTag shows at wp.org #14 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 1K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 1.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Element Pack Addons for Elementor – MCP & AI-Ready Elementor Widgets, Elementor Templates, Elementor Addons places #10 on merit, 4.7★ from 284 reviews, but shows at wp.org #19. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
BetterDocs – AI Documentation, Knowledge Base, MCP Server, Docs, Wikis, FAQ & Chatbot 30K+ · 4.8★ (515) heavy footprint
wp.org #2 1 too low 2 
Yada Wiki 2K+ · 4.9★ (23) thin reviews
wp.org #1 1 too high 3 
weDocs: AI Powered Knowledge Base, Docs, Documentation, Wiki & AI Chatbot 5K+ · 4.6★ (69)
wp.org #3 4 
EazyDocs – AI Powered Knowledge Base, Wiki, Documentation & FAQ Builder 2K+ · 4.7★ (100)
wp.org #5 1 too low 5 
Knowledge Base documentation & wiki plugin – BasePress Docs 2K+ · 4.8★ (75) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #4 1 too high 6 
Table of Contents Plus – Automatic Table of Contents for Posts & Pages 200K+ · 4.5★ (187)
wp.org #7 ↑1 1 too low 7 
Echo Knowledge Base – Documentation, FAQs, Chat & Smart Search 10K+ · 4.9★ (124)
wp.org #11 4 too low 8 
WP Wiki Tooltip 200+ · 4.8★ (18) thin reviews
wp.org #6 2 too high 9 
User Access Manager 10K+ · 4.4★ (112)
wp.org #13 ↑1 4 too low 10 Element Pack Addons for Elementor – MCP & AI-Ready Elementor Widgets, Elementor Templates, Elementor Addons 100K+ · 4.7★ (284)
wp.org #19 ↓1 9 too low 11 
CMB2 300K+ · 5.0★ (91) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #10 1 too high 12 
Italy Cookie Choices (for EU Cookie Law & Cookie Notice) 9K+ · 4.5★ (35)
wp.org #12 13 
Wikipedia Preview 1K+ · 4.8★ (37)
wp.org #15 2 too low 14 
Simple Side Tab 10K+ · 4.8★ (22) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #8 ↓1 6 too high 15 
Off-Canvas Sidebars & Menus (Slidebars) 1K+ · 4.8★ (38)
wp.org #16 1 too low 16 
Documentation – Build a Knowledge Base, Help Center or Wiki 100+ · 4.7★ (12) thin reviews
wp.org #9 7 too high 17 
GDPR 10K+ · 4.3★ (58)
wp.org #24 ↓1 7 too low 18 B BuddyPress Docs 6K+ · 4.4★ (35)
wp.org #18 ↓1 19 
Encyclopedia / Glossary / Wiki 1K+ · 3.4★ (161) closure risk
wp.org #22 3 too low 20 
Publish To Apple News 4K+ · 3.8★ (25)
wp.org #20 ↓1 21 
Eventward 400+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #17 ↑3 4 too high 22 
فاکتورک (Faktorak) 500+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #21 1 too high 23 
utm.codes 400+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #23 ↑1 24 Awin Publisher MasterTag 1K+ · 1.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #14 ↓1 10 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.