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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “wordpress screenshot”

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

JSM Screenshot Machine Shortcode shows at wp.org #12 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 20+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Smash Balloon Social Post Feed – Simple Social Feeds for WordPress places #10 on merit, 4.7★ from 1511 reviews, but shows at wp.org #16. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Independent Analytics – WordPress Analytics Plugin 100K+ · 4.8★ (167) wp.org #1 2 UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8706) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 FancyBox for WordPress 30K+ · 4.6★ (92) wp.org #2 1 too high 4 MainWP Dashboard: Self-hosted WordPress Management for Agencies 20K+ · 4.9★ (2354) wp.org #5 1 too low 5 Simple History – Track, Log, and Audit WordPress Changes 300K+ · 4.9★ (491) wp.org #6 1 too low 6 Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7519) wp.org #9 3 too low 7 Simple Shopping Cart 10K+ · 4.6★ (215) wp.org #7 8 WordPress Beta Tester 2K+ · 4.0★ (47) wp.org #4 4 too high 9 Database Reset 10K+ · 4.5★ (77) wp.org #8 1 too high 10 Smash Balloon Social Post Feed – Simple Social Feeds for WordPress 100K+ · 4.7★ (1511) wp.org #16 6 too low 11 PDF Embedder – PDF Viewer & Embed PDF Files for WordPress 300K+ · 4.7★ (529) wp.org #13 2 too low 12 Business Directory Plugin – Easy Listing & Member Directories for WordPress 10K+ · 4.6★ (504) wp.org #15 3 too low 13 StatCounter – Real Time Visitor Stats, Session Replay & Heatmaps 70K+ · 4.2★ (56) wp.org #11 2 too high 14 Connect Matomo – Analytics Dashboard for WordPress 60K+ · 4.5★ (95) wp.org #10 4 too high 15 LiveChat – Live Chat Plugin for WP Websites 10K+ · 4.6★ (98) wp.org #18 3 too low 16 WP Statistics – Simple, privacy-friendly Google Analytics alternative 500K+ · 4.1★ (759) wp.org #24 8 too low 17 WP Console – WordPress PHP Console powered by PsySH 20K+ · 5.0★ (21) wp.org #17 18 Blogger To WordPress 3K+ · 4.2★ (26) wp.org #14 4 too high 19 Iks Menu – WordPress Category Accordion Menu & FAQs 10K+ · 5.0★ (27) wp.org #21 2 too low 20 Popup Builder & Popup Maker for WordPress – OptinMonster Email Marketing and Lead Generation 1M+ · 4.3★ (821) wp.org #19 1 too high 21 Matomo Analytics – Powerful, Privacy-First Insights for WordPress 100K+ · 4.6★ (178) wp.org #22 1 too low 22 FV Flowplayer Video Player 10K+ · 4.4★ (90) wp.org #20 2 too high 23 JSM Screenshot Machine Shortcode 20+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #12 11 too high 24 FareHarbor for WordPress 9K+ · 4.3★ (4) wp.org #23 1 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.