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← Rankings

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

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 “xhr”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 16 of the top 20. 1 plugin is 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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.

Ranked above its merit

MeetLet Amazing Performance Boost shows at wp.org #6 but places #16 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its — installs carry it up the search order; its 0.0★ average from 0 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Invisible Anti-Spam & CAPTCHA — reCAPTCHA Alternative for All Forms places #9 on merit, 4.8★ from 50 reviews, but shows at wp.org #19. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Flying Pages: Preload Pages for Faster Navigation & Improved User Experience 20K+ · 4.9★ (79) wp.org #1 2 Download Monitor 80K+ · 4.5★ (525) wp.org #5 3 too low 3 UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8709) wp.org #7 4 too low 4 Quicklink for WordPress 1K+ · 5.0★ (11) wp.org #2 2 too high 5 Newsletter – Send awesome emails from WordPress 200K+ · 4.6★ (1205) wp.org #8 ↑1 3 too low 6 Germanized for WooCommerce 70K+ · 4.8★ (496) wp.org #15 9 too low 7 Sucuri Security – Auditing, Malware Scanner and Security Hardening 600K+ · 4.2★ (386) wp.org #12 5 too low 8 WPVR – 360 Panorama viewer and Virtual Tour Builder for WordPress 10K+ · 4.7★ (133) wp.org #17 9 too low 9 Invisible Anti-Spam & CAPTCHA — reCAPTCHA Alternative for All Forms 5K+ · 4.8★ (50) wp.org #19 ↓1 10 too low 10 A AJAX Hits Counter + Popular Posts Widget 900+ · 4.9★ (17) wp.org #21 11 too low 11 Download Monitor – CORS 80+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #3 8 too high 12 EU Order Withdrawal Button for WooCommerce 6K+ · 4.6★ (7) wp.org #13 1 too low 13 Yard DeepL 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #4 9 too high 14 Security Header Generator 400+ · 4.9★ (7) wp.org #20 6 too low 15 CallRail Phone Call Tracking 10K+ · 3.7★ (6) wp.org #16 1 too low 16 MeetLet Amazing Performance Boost — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #6 10 too high 17 PageFlash – Fast Page Preloading, Performance Optimization & Secure Your WordPress Site — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #9 ↓1 8 too high 18 ChangeTrace – Sales Drop & Plugin Update Monitor for WooCommerce and EDD — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #10 8 too high 19 D DLM – Advanced Settings — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #11 8 too high 20 Wp Post Rating 10+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #24 4 too low 21 O Optimize AdScale Calls For WooCommerce 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #14 7 too high 22 LeadConnector 20K+ · 2.3★ (11) wp.org #23 1 too low 23 zipMoney(Zip Co) Payments Plugin for WooCommerce 2K+ · 2.8★ (8) wp.org #18 ↑1 5 too high 24 Honeypot Guard – Silent Anti-Spam 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #22 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.