Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

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

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 note”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 of the top 20. 2 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

WP-Note 2019 shows at wp.org #12 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 300+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Admin Custom Login places #6 on merit, 4.6★ from 388 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 wp.org
1 Admin Menu Editor 300K+ · 4.6★ (312) wp.org #1 2 WP Dashboard Notes 20K+ · 4.6★ (110) wp.org #3 ↑1 1 too low 3 Peter's Post Notes – Admin Notes for Posts and Pages 3K+ · 4.9★ (26) wp.org #2 1 too high 4 Change Admin Email 40K+ · 4.8★ (141) wp.org #8 ↑3 4 too low 5 Print Invoice & Delivery Notes for WooCommerce 30K+ · 4.4★ (140) wp.org #5 ↓2 6 Admin Custom Login 10K+ · 4.6★ (388) wp.org #11 ↓3 5 too low 7 View Admin As 9K+ · 4.9★ (49) wp.org #7 8 BrikPanel: WooCommerce Dashboard & Analytics, Abandoned Cart Recovery, Order Export, Inventory Management & Bulk Editor 1K+ · 5.0★ (55) wp.org #6 2 too high 9 User Admin Simplifier 10K+ · 5.0★ (31) wp.org #10 1 too low 10 Admin Notices Manager 10K+ · 4.9★ (21) wp.org #9 1 too high 11 Admin Menu Tree Page View 10K+ · 4.6★ (48) wp.org #13 ↑2 2 too low 12 Product Notes Tab & Private Admin Notes for WooCommerce 1K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #4 ↑1 8 too high 13 WP Custom Admin Interface 30K+ · 4.7★ (160) wp.org #14 ↓2 1 too low 14 WebToffee WooCommerce PDF Invoices, Packing Slips, Delivery Notes & Shipping Labels 50K+ · 4.9★ (285) wp.org #17 3 too low 15 Plugin Notes Plus 9K+ · 5.0★ (62) wp.org #20 5 too low 16 Admin Columns for ACF Fields 8K+ · 4.9★ (20) wp.org #21 5 too low 17 OpenStation – Admin Dashboard Notes, Custom Dashboard, AI Assistant & PWA 1K+ · 5.0★ (23) wp.org #23 6 too low 18 Admin Page Notes 700+ · 5.0★ (9) wp.org #16 ↓2 2 too high 19 User Notes 800+ · 4.8★ (15) wp.org #24 ↓1 5 too low 20 Admin Management Xtended 5K+ · 4.6★ (18) wp.org #19 1 too high 21 CiviCRM Admin Utilities 1K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #18 3 too high 22 Sticky Notes for WP Dashboard 1K+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #22 23 WPC Admin Columns 1K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #15 ↑1 8 too high 24 WP-Note 2019 300+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #12 ↑1 12 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.