wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “admin search”
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 search”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 of the top 20. 3 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
Admin Search shows at wp.org #3 but places #11 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 1K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.5★ average from 18 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423)
wp.org #1 2 
Site Kit by Google – Analytics, Search Console, AdSense, Speed 5M+ · 4.2★ (1012)
wp.org #2 3 
Admin Columns 100K+ · 4.9★ (1652)
wp.org #4 ↓2 1 too low 4 
Search Exclude 50K+ · 4.8★ (218)
wp.org #5 ↑9 1 too low 5 
Better Search Replace 1M+ · 4.3★ (546)
wp.org #6 1 too low 6 
Relevanssi – A Better Search 100K+ · 4.8★ (406)
wp.org #9 ↓4 3 too low 7 
Search Regex 100K+ · 4.7★ (101)
wp.org #7 8 
Admin Menu Editor 300K+ · 4.6★ (312)
wp.org #10 ↑2 2 too low 9 
Ajax Search Lite – Live Search & Filter 70K+ · 4.8★ (266)
wp.org #11 ↑3 2 too low 10 
FiboSearch – Ajax Search for WooCommerce 100K+ · 4.9★ (1815) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #12 ↓1 2 too low 11 Admin Search 1K+ · 4.5★ (18) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #3 ↑1 8 too high 12 
Ivory Search – WordPress Search Plugin 90K+ · 4.9★ (1562) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #13 ↓4 1 too low 13 
Disable Admin Notices – Hide Dashboard Notifications 100K+ · 4.7★ (367)
wp.org #18 ↓1 5 too low 14 
Search & Filter 40K+ · 4.5★ (175)
wp.org #17 ↓2 3 too low 15 
ACF: Better Search 40K+ · 4.9★ (165)
wp.org #20 ↓2 5 too low 16 
Admin Menu Search 3K+ · 4.9★ (14) thin reviews
wp.org #8 8 too high 17 
Advanced Woo Search – Product Search for WooCommerce 60K+ · 4.8★ (248) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #14 ↓4 3 too high 18 
BP Profile Search 5K+ · 5.0★ (71)
wp.org #23 ↑1 5 too low 19 
BrikPanel: WooCommerce Dashboard & Analytics, Abandoned Cart Recovery, Order Export, Inventory Management & Bulk Editor 1K+ · 5.0★ (55) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #15 ↑4 4 too high 20 
SearchWP Live Ajax Search 40K+ · 4.7★ (36)
wp.org #19 ↓3 1 too high 21 
WP Search with Algolia 7K+ · 4.5★ (24) thin reviews
wp.org #16 5 too high 22 
Search Analytics for WP – Site Search Tracking 3K+ · 5.0★ (30) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #22 ↓1 23 
Jetpack Search 5K+ · 4.5★ (10) thin reviews
wp.org #21 ↓1 2 too high 24 
WP-Admin Search Post Meta 300+ · 4.3★ (10) thin reviews
wp.org #24 ↓2 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.