wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “admin repository”
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 repository”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 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
CiviCRM Admin Utilities shows at wp.org #6 but places #16 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 1K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 6 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets places #12 on merit, 4.9★ from 4132 reviews, but shows at wp.org #22. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
WooCommerce 7M+ · 4.5★ (4833)
wp.org #1 2 
Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5040)
wp.org #3 1 too low 3 
BrikPanel: WooCommerce Dashboard & Analytics, Abandoned Cart Recovery, Order Export, Inventory Management & Bulk Editor 1K+ · 5.0★ (55)
wp.org #2 1 too high 4 
User Admin Simplifier 10K+ · 5.0★ (31)
wp.org #5 1 too low 5 
Admin Notices Manager 10K+ · 4.9★ (21) thin reviews
wp.org #4 1 too high 6 
Admin Menu Tree Page View 10K+ · 4.6★ (48)
wp.org #7 1 too low 7 
Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1281)
wp.org #16 9 too low 8 
PublishPress Capabilities: User Role Access Control, Admin Area Permissions 90K+ · 4.7★ (143)
wp.org #12 4 too low 9 
Auto Hide Admin Bar 3K+ · 4.8★ (32)
wp.org #8 1 too high 10 
Post Category Filter (WP Admin) 1K+ · 5.0★ (25)
wp.org #9 1 too high 11 
Add Admin CSS 10K+ · 4.9★ (35)
wp.org #11 12 Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132)
wp.org #22 10 too low 13 
Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (588)
wp.org #20 7 too low 14 
Ultimate Member – User Profile, Registration, Login, Member Directory, Content Restriction & Membership Plugin 200K+ · 4.4★ (1445)
wp.org #24 10 too low 15 
WP 2FA – Two-factor authentication for WordPress 100K+ · 4.7★ (184)
wp.org #19 4 too low 16 CiviCRM Admin Utilities 1K+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #6 10 too high 17 
Default Admin Color Scheme 800+ · 4.7★ (9) thin reviews
wp.org #10 7 too high 18 
Admin Page Notes 700+ · 5.0★ (9) thin reviews
wp.org #13 5 too high 19 
Easy Hide Admin Menu Items 1K+ · 5.0★ (14) thin reviews
wp.org #18 1 too high 20 
Enhanced Plugin Admin 100+ · 5.0★ (8) thin reviews
wp.org #14 6 too high 21 
Unnotifier — disable admin notices individually 1K+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #21 22 
Simplify Admin Menus 80+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #17 5 too high 23 
Hide Admin Icons 100+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #15 8 too high 24 
Admin Notify 40+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #23 1 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.