Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “wp enqueue script”

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 “wp enqueue script”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 7 of the top 20. 2 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

WP Console – WordPress PHP Console powered by PsySH shows at wp.org #11 but places #16 on merit, a gap of 5 places. Its 20K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 21 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Social Chat – Click To Chat App Button places #10 on merit, 4.9★ from 696 reviews, but shows at wp.org #15. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) 2M+ · 4.5★ (1440) wp.org #1 ↑4 2 All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 W WP-SCSS 40K+ · 4.3★ (61) wp.org #2 ↑4 1 too high 4 Modula Image Gallery – Photo Grid & Video Gallery 100K+ · 4.7★ (616) wp.org #6 ↓2 2 too low 5 WP-Polls 40K+ · 4.2★ (136) wp.org #4 ↓3 1 too high 6 WP-PostRatings 20K+ · 4.4★ (178) wp.org #5 ↓3 1 too high 7 AI-Powered Carousel, Slider, Video & Photo Gallery Blocks by WP Carousel 60K+ · 4.7★ (434) wp.org #8 1 too low 8 WP-UserOnline 10K+ · 4.6★ (38) wp.org #7 ↓4 1 too high 9 WP Webhooks – Automate repetitive tasks by creating powerful automation workflows directly within WordPress 20K+ · 4.7★ (55) wp.org #10 ↓1 1 too low 10 Social Chat – Click To Chat App Button 200K+ · 4.9★ (696) wp.org #15 ↑1 5 too low 11 Dark Mode for WP Dashboard 3K+ · 4.8★ (34) wp.org #9 ↓2 2 too high 12 WP Fusion Lite – Marketing Automation and CRM Integration for WordPress 4K+ · 5.0★ (69) wp.org #12 ↓1 13 Lightbox for Gallery & Image Block 20K+ · 5.0★ (88) wp.org #16 ↓2 3 too low 14 WP Performance Score Booster – Optimize Speed, Enable Cache & Page Preload 10K+ · 4.6★ (339) wp.org #20 ↓1 6 too low 15 W WP FullCalendar 8K+ · 4.7★ (96) wp.org #14 ↓1 1 too high 16 WP Console – WordPress PHP Console powered by PsySH 20K+ · 5.0★ (21) wp.org #11 ↓1 5 too high 17 WP Visitor Statistics (Real Time Traffic) 20K+ · 4.5★ (156) wp.org #18 ↓1 1 too low 18 wp-forecast 4K+ · 4.2★ (23) wp.org #13 ↓1 5 too high 19 Advanced Custom Fields: Font Awesome Field 90K+ · 4.9★ (36) wp.org #22 3 too low 20 AMP WP – Google AMP For WordPress 600+ · 4.5★ (55) wp.org #21 1 too low 21 WP Discourse 1K+ · 4.5★ (8) wp.org #17 ↓2 4 too high 22 WP Custom Author URL 5K+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #24 2 too low 23 WP MyLinks 1K+ · 4.0★ (14) wp.org #19 ↓1 4 too high 24 WP ADA Compliance Check Basic 2K+ · 4.5★ (8) 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.