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

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 assistant”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 of the top 20.

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

Smart Admin Assistant shows at wp.org #2 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 18 places. Its 200+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.3★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

CookieYes – Cookie Banner for Cookie Consent (Easy to setup GDPR/CCPA Compliant Cookie Notice) places #12 on merit, 4.8★ from 3236 reviews, but shows at wp.org #23. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Media Library Assistant 70K+ · 4.8★ (202) wp.org #1 2 Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1281) wp.org #5 3 too low 3 WPVibe – MCP Server for WordPress, works with Claude, ChatGPT & other AI MCP agents 100K+ · 5.0★ (200) wp.org #4 1 too low 4 All in One SEO – AI SEO Plugin to Boost SEO Rankings & Traffic (Schema, Local SEO, Sitemap & SEO Insights) 2M+ · 4.7★ (5231) wp.org #7 ↓1 3 too low 5 Assistant – Every Day Productivity Apps 4K+ · 4.9★ (15) wp.org #3 2 too high 6 BEAR – Bulk Editor for WooCommerce Professional. AI assistant on board (MCP Server) 30K+ · 4.7★ (228) wp.org #8 2 too low 7 AI Engine – MCP Server & AI Chatbot for WordPress, with Claude, ChatGPT & Gemini 90K+ · 4.9★ (874) wp.org #12 5 too low 8 GetGenie – AI SEO Assistant & Content Writer with Keyword Research, AEO & GEO 70K+ · 4.8★ (119) wp.org #11 3 too low 9 BackWPup – WordPress Backup & Restore Plugin 400K+ · 4.0★ (1323) wp.org #13 ↑2 4 too low 10 Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7520) wp.org #20 ↓2 10 too low 11 OpenStation – Admin Dashboard Notes, Custom Dashboard, AI Assistant & PWA 1K+ · 5.0★ (23) wp.org #9 2 too high 12 CookieYes – Cookie Banner for Cookie Consent (Easy to setup GDPR/CCPA Compliant Cookie Notice) 1M+ · 4.8★ (3236) wp.org #23 ↓1 11 too low 13 Product Enquiry for WooCommerce (Now with AI Assistant) 10K+ · 4.1★ (68) wp.org #16 3 too low 14 QA Assistants – Driven by data 2K+ · 4.5★ (8) wp.org #14 15 Obituary Assistant 200+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #10 5 too high 16 Semrush SEO Writing Assistant 8K+ · 2.8★ (25) wp.org #15 ↓2 1 too high 17 AI ChatBot with ChatGPT and Content Generator by AYS 300+ · 5.0★ (9) wp.org #24 ↓1 7 too low 18 Accessibility Assistant – EAA ADA WCAG AODA 100+ · 4.3★ (9) wp.org #19 1 too low 19 Double Youpï Refined Admin Dashboard – Admin Theme with Dark Mode & Media Folders 80+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #18 1 too high 20 Smart Admin Assistant 200+ · 3.3★ (3) wp.org #2 18 too high 21 YLabs AI Assistant Connector 1K+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #6 ↓1 15 too high 22 Geeky Bot – AI Chatbot & Sales Assistant for WooCommerce 6K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #21 1 too high 23 WPadmin.AI – AI Assistant for WordPress 80+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #22 ↓1 1 too high 24 Pixelgrade Assistant 2K+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 7 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.