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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “wpcf7”

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 “wpcf7”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 16 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.

T

Ranked above its merit

Taiwan Address Selector Extension for Contact Form 7 shows at wp.org #10 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 20+ 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

Smart Grid-Layout Design for Contact Form 7 places #9 on merit, 4.5★ from 72 reviews, but shows at wp.org #24. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Redirection for Contact Form 7 200K+ · 4.7★ (275) wp.org #1 2 Database Addon for Contact Form 7 – CFDB7 600K+ · 5.0★ (1875) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 ReCaptcha v2 for Contact Form 7 200K+ · 5.0★ (89) wp.org #2 1 too high 4 C Contact Form 7: Accessible Defaults 5K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #5 1 too low 5 hCaptcha for WP 70K+ · 4.6★ (86) wp.org #18 13 too low 6 Contact Form 7 – Post Fields 3K+ · 5.0★ (34) wp.org #20 14 too low 7 Art WooCommerce Order One Click 4K+ · 5.0★ (36) wp.org #22 15 too low 8 Date Picker For Contact Form 7 4K+ · 3.9★ (7) wp.org #4 4 too high 9 Smart Grid-Layout Design for Contact Form 7 10K+ · 4.5★ (72) wp.org #24 15 too low 10 C Contact form 7 TO API + Basic Auth 1K+ · 4.3★ (6) wp.org #16 6 too low 11 L Live Drag and Drop Builder for Contact Form 7 60+ · 3.0★ (5) wp.org #7 4 too high 12 Privyr CRM – Instant Lead Alerts for Contact Forms 4K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #6 6 too high 13 DataLayer for GTM and Matomo 80+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #8 5 too high 14 Business Essentials for Contact Form 7 7K+ · 3.3★ (10) wp.org #19 5 too low 15 Campi Moduli Italiani 500+ · 4.7★ (6) wp.org #21 6 too low 16 MV Form Usage Finder for Contact Form 7 — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #11 ↑1 5 too high 17 Kakunin Modal for Contact Form 7 — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #12 ↑1 5 too high 18 WPCF7 Extended 50+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #9 9 too high 19 L LastingSales – For Contact Form 7 & WP Forms 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #13 ↓2 6 too high 20 T Taiwan Address Selector Extension for Contact Form 7 20+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #10 10 too high 21 Forms Bridge – Infinite integrations 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #23 2 too low 22 Homura Time Travel & Form State Engine — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #15 7 too high 23 W WPCF7 Mail Collector 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 6 too high 24 Lazyload for Contact Form 7 40+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #14 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.