wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “admin link”
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 link”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 7 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
VK Link Target Controller shows at wp.org #11 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 30K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Admin Custom Login places #11 on merit, 4.6★ from 388 reviews, but shows at wp.org #18. 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 
PrettyLinks – Affiliate Link Management, URL Shortener, Link Cloaking, Tracking & Branded Short Links 200K+ · 4.8★ (1322)
wp.org #3 1 too low 3 
Broken Link Checker 500K+ · 3.8★ (605)
wp.org #2 1 too high 4 
Admin Menu Editor 300K+ · 4.6★ (312)
wp.org #4 ↑1 5 
Link Library 10K+ · 4.7★ (97)
wp.org #5 ↓1 6 
Disable Admin Notices – Hide Dashboard Notifications 100K+ · 4.7★ (367)
wp.org #7 1 too low 7 
Broken Link Checker by AIOSEO – Find & Fix Broken Internal, External & Video Links 200K+ · 3.8★ (87)
wp.org #6 1 too high 8 
BrikPanel: WooCommerce Dashboard & Analytics, Abandoned Cart Recovery, Order Export, Inventory Management & Bulk Editor 1K+ · 5.0★ (55)
wp.org #8 9 
Link Whisper Free 30K+ · 4.2★ (151)
wp.org #9 10 
Internal Links Manager 10K+ · 4.8★ (33)
wp.org #10 11 Admin Custom Login 10K+ · 4.6★ (388)
wp.org #18 7 too low 12 
View Admin As 9K+ · 4.9★ (49)
wp.org #13 1 too low 13 
ThirstyAffiliates – Affiliate Links, Link Branding, Link Tracking & Marketing Plugin 30K+ · 4.6★ (251)
wp.org #23 10 too low 14 
WP Custom Admin Interface 30K+ · 4.7★ (160)
wp.org #21 7 too low 15 
Simple Link Directory – AI Powered 2K+ · 4.8★ (121)
wp.org #20 5 too low 16 
Controlled Admin Access 10K+ · 4.8★ (45)
wp.org #17 1 too low 17 
Admin Menu Tree Page View 10K+ · 4.6★ (48)
wp.org #19 2 too low 18 
Link Juice Keeper 10K+ · 4.7★ (15) thin reviews
wp.org #12 6 too high 19 
Admin Notices Manager 10K+ · 4.9★ (21) thin reviews
wp.org #15 4 too high 20 
Admin Bar Editor – Toolbar Customization with User Role based access & Custom menus 3K+ · 4.4★ (24) thin reviews
wp.org #14 6 too high 21 
Comment Link Remove and Other Comment Tools 8K+ · 4.1★ (15) thin reviews
wp.org #16 5 too high 22 
All In One Login 60K+ · 3.6★ (35)
wp.org #24 2 too low 23 
Broken Link Notifier 1K+ · 4.8★ (14) thin reviews
wp.org #22 1 too high 24 VK Link Target Controller 30K+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #11 13 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.