wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “admin ajax”

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 “admin ajax”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 6 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

YITH WooCommerce Ajax Product Filter shows at wp.org #13 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 7 places. Its 70K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.5★ average from 98 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Ajax Load More – Infinite Scroll, Load More, & Lazy Load places #7 on merit, 4.8★ from 287 reviews, but shows at wp.org #11. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423) wp.org #1 2

FiboSearch – Ajax Search for WooCommerce 100K+ · 4.9★ (1815) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #2 3

Ajax Search Lite – Live Search & Filter 70K+ · 4.8★ (266) wp.org #3 ↑5 4

Admin Menu Editor 300K+ · 4.6★ (312) wp.org #4 ↓1 5

Category AJAX Filter – Posts, Custom Post Types & Product Filter 6K+ · 4.9★ (158) wp.org #6 ↑3 1 too low 6

SearchWP Live Ajax Search 40K+ · 4.7★ (36) wp.org #5 1 too high 7

Ajax Load More – Infinite Scroll, Load More, & Lazy Load 30K+ · 4.8★ (287) wp.org #11 ↓1 4 too low 8 A AJAX Thumbnail Rebuild 30K+ · 4.8★ (90) wp.org #8 ↓2 9

Advanced AJAX Product Filters 50K+ · 4.7★ (387) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #7 ↓3 2 too high 10

Ajax add to cart for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.7★ (78) wp.org #9 ↓2 2 too high 12

Simple Ajax Chat – Add a Fast, Secure Chat Box 2K+ · 4.9★ (215) wp.org #15 ↑9 3 too low 13

View Admin As 9K+ · 4.9★ (49) wp.org #16 ↓2 3 too low 14

BrikPanel: WooCommerce Dashboard & Analytics, Abandoned Cart Recovery, Order Export, Inventory Management & Bulk Editor 1K+ · 5.0★ (55) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #12 ↓1 2 too high 15

User Admin Simplifier 10K+ · 5.0★ (31) wp.org #17 ↓2 2 too low 16

Ajax Cart for WooCommerce 5K+ · 4.4★ (39) wp.org #14 2 too high 17

Controlled Admin Access 10K+ · 4.8★ (45) wp.org #20 ↓2 3 too low 18

Admin Menu Tree Page View 10K+ · 4.6★ (48) wp.org #23 5 too low 19

Simple Admin Language Change 10K+ · 4.7★ (22) thin reviews wp.org #18 ↓2 1 too high 20

YITH WooCommerce Ajax Product Filter 70K+ · 3.5★ (98) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #13 ↓1 7 too high 21

WP Custom Admin Interface 30K+ · 4.7★ (160) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #24 ↓5 3 too low 22

Admin Management Xtended 5K+ · 4.6★ (18) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #19 ↓2 3 too high 23

Dynamic AJAX Product Filters for WooCommerce 1K+ · 5.0★ (11) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #22 1 too high 24

WPC AJAX Search for WooCommerce 1K+ · 5.0★ (2) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #21 ↓1 3 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.