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

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 listing”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 7 of the top 20. 5 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 Maps – Google Maps, OpenStreetMap, Mapbox, Store Locator with Search, Filters & Listings shows at wp.org #8 but places #17 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 60K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.3★ average from 122 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Modula Image Gallery – Photo Grid & Video Gallery places #10 on merit, 4.7★ from 616 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 Classified Listing – AI-Powered Classified ads & Business Directory 9K+ · 4.8★ (138) wp.org #1 2 All-in-One WP Migration and Backup 5M+ · 4.5★ (7676) wp.org #2 ↑1 3 UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8708) wp.org #3 ↓1 4 WP Store Locator 40K+ · 4.8★ (312) wp.org #4 5 GeoDirectory – WP Business Directory Plugin and Classified Listings Directory 10K+ · 4.8★ (716) wp.org #5 6 WP Encryption: Easy HTTPS / SSL & Free SSL certificate, HTTPS redirect 50K+ · 4.9★ (1146) wp.org #9 3 too low 7 WP Job Manager 70K+ · 4.4★ (237) wp.org #6 1 too high 8 WP Crontrol 300K+ · 4.4★ (167) wp.org #7 1 too high 9 HireZoot – Job Listings, Career Page & Recruitment Tool 30K+ · 4.8★ (194) wp.org #10 1 too low 10 Modula Image Gallery – Photo Grid & Video Gallery 100K+ · 4.7★ (616) wp.org #15 ↓1 5 too low 11 Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) 2M+ · 4.5★ (1440) wp.org #11 12 WP Event Manager – Events Calendar, Registrations, Sell Tickets with WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.0★ (249) wp.org #12 13 All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720) wp.org #16 ↑1 3 too low 14 Business Directory Plugin – Easy Listing & Member Directories for WordPress 10K+ · 4.6★ (504) wp.org #18 4 too low 15 BackWPup – WordPress Backup & Restore Plugin 400K+ · 4.0★ (1323) wp.org #13 2 too high 16 WP Table Builder – Drag & Drop Table Builder 50K+ · 4.8★ (681) wp.org #23 ↑1 7 too low 17 WP Maps – Google Maps, OpenStreetMap, Mapbox, Store Locator with Search, Filters & Listings 60K+ · 4.3★ (122) wp.org #8 9 too high 18 WP-Polls 40K+ · 4.2★ (136) wp.org #17 ↑2 1 too high 19 Schema & Structured Data for WP & AMP 100K+ · 4.5★ (252) wp.org #14 ↑1 5 too high 20 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322) wp.org #22 ↓1 2 too low 21 WP-UserOnline 10K+ · 4.6★ (38) wp.org #21 ↑1 22 WP Hide & Security Enhancer 50K+ · 4.3★ (275) wp.org #20 ↑3 2 too high 23 WPC Coupon Listing for WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.7★ (3) wp.org #19 ↑1 4 too high 24 WP All Import – Job Listing Import for WP Job Manager 2K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #24

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.