wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “admin help”
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 help”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 6 of the top 20. 4 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
Help Scout shows at wp.org #13 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 300+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.3★ average from 6 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Admin Custom Login places #7 on merit, 4.6★ from 388 reviews, but shows at wp.org #14. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423)
wp.org #1 2 
Admin Columns 100K+ · 4.9★ (1652)
wp.org #3 1 too low 3 
Admin Menu Editor 300K+ · 4.6★ (312)
wp.org #4 1 too low 4 
Disable Admin Notices – Hide Dashboard Notifications 100K+ · 4.7★ (367)
wp.org #5 1 too low 5 
WooCommerce 7M+ · 4.5★ (4833) throws errorsnot PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #6 1 too low 6 
Admin Help Docs 600+ · 5.0★ (9) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #2 4 too high 7 Admin Custom Login 10K+ · 4.6★ (388)
wp.org #14 ↓1 7 too low 8 
View Admin As 9K+ · 4.9★ (49)
wp.org #9 1 too low 9 
BrikPanel: WooCommerce Dashboard & Analytics, Abandoned Cart Recovery, Order Export, Inventory Management & Bulk Editor 1K+ · 5.0★ (55) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #7 2 too high 10 
Simple Admin Language Change 10K+ · 4.7★ (22) thin reviews
wp.org #8 2 too high 11 
User Admin Simplifier 10K+ · 5.0★ (31)
wp.org #11 ↓1 12 
Controlled Admin Access 10K+ · 4.8★ (45)
wp.org #12 ↓1 13 
Admin Bar Editor – Toolbar Customization with User Role based access & Custom menus 3K+ · 4.4★ (24) thin reviews
wp.org #10 ↓3 3 too high 14 
WP Custom Admin Interface 30K+ · 4.7★ (160) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #15 ↓1 1 too low 15 
Code Snippets 1M+ · 4.7★ (510) not PHP-current
wp.org #21 ↓4 6 too low 16 
Add Admin CSS 10K+ · 4.9★ (35)
wp.org #23 ↓1 7 too low 17 
All In One Login 60K+ · 3.6★ (35)
wp.org #16 ↑4 1 too high 18 
Church Admin 900+ · 4.7★ (17) thin reviews
wp.org #24 6 too low 19 
Admin Management Xtended 5K+ · 4.6★ (18) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #18 ↓2 1 too high 20 
Slash Admin 500+ · 5.0★ (9) thin reviews
wp.org #22 ↓1 2 too low 21 
ChatHelp – Click to Chat Button, Chat to Order for WooCommerce & Floating Chat Form 2K+ · 4.4★ (9) thin reviews
wp.org #19 ↓1 2 too high 22 Help Scout 300+ · 4.3★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #13 ↓1 9 too high 23 
Admin Search 1K+ · 4.5★ (18) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #20 ↓1 3 too high 24 
WPC Admin Columns 1K+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #17 ↓2 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.