In reply to Jacques.

In that sense it might not be ‘fair’ to new or smaller plugins, but numbers do speak…

The search experience could be changed to show, recently added plugins that match the search, and the popular ones listed at the bottom.

Sort of like paid listings at the top of Google search results, maybe even turning that newly added section into a horizontal scroll area to show the plugins, or add a view all link to recently added plugins (that match the search query).

Then you get both the newer plugins which may solve your need, or you can see the tried and true "popular" plugins.

While I don't know if this is feasible for the search results, it may be an option worth pursuing.