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

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 graphql”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 16 of the top 20. 6 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

WPGraphQL for ACF shows at wp.org #4 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 14 places. Its 10K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Advanced Form Integration — Connect Forms to 300+ Apps places #11 on merit, 4.8★ from 91 reviews, but shows at wp.org #21. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 WPGraphQL 30K+ · 4.9★ (48) wp.org #1 2 Table Field Add-on for ACF and SCF 50K+ · 4.9★ (60) wp.org #2 3 WP Social Ninja – Embed Social Feeds, User Reviews & Chat Widgets 30K+ · 4.8★ (71) wp.org #5 2 too low 4 WP Event Aggregator: Import Eventbrite events, Meetup events, social events and any iCal Events into Event Calendar 1K+ · 4.6★ (54) wp.org #8 ↑1 4 too low 5 Custom API for WP 1K+ · 4.8★ (45) wp.org #6 1 too low 6 Advanced Custom Fields: Font Awesome Field 90K+ · 4.9★ (36) wp.org #12 ↓1 6 too low 7 WPGraphQL Yoast SEO Addon 10K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #3 4 too high 8 Better Font Awesome 60K+ · 4.5★ (88) wp.org #16 ↓2 8 too low 9 Event Espresso – Event Registration & Ticketing Sales 500+ · 4.4★ (136) wp.org #15 ↓2 6 too low 10 Code Block Pro – Beautiful Syntax Highlighting 10K+ · 4.8★ (50) wp.org #18 ↓1 8 too low 11 Advanced Form Integration — Connect Forms to 300+ Apps 9K+ · 4.8★ (91) wp.org #21 ↓1 10 too low 12 Faust.js 1K+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #9 ↓1 3 too high 13 WPGraphQL Smart Cache 5K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #7 ↓3 6 too high 14 Frontend View For Headless CMS 100+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #17 ↓2 3 too low 15 Headless Mode 2K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #20 ↓2 5 too low 16 Blink For WooCommerce 50+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #19 3 too low 17 User Profile Picture – Custom Local Avatars 4K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #10 7 too high 18 WPGraphQL for ACF 10K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #4 ↑3 14 too high 19 External Store for Shopify 2K+ · 3.4★ (5) wp.org #13 ↑3 6 too high 20 WP Engine Smart Search AI 10+ · 3.8★ (4) wp.org #23 ↑1 3 too low 21 WPGraphQL IDE 1K+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #14 ↓2 7 too high 22 Parse.ly 1K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #11 ↓1 11 too high 23 WPGraphQL BuddyPress 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #24 ↓2 1 too low 24 Rankology SEO and Analytics Tool 300+ · 0.0★ (0) 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.