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← Rankings

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

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 tool”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 of the top 20. 5 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

Hostinger Tools shows at wp.org #3 but places #12 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 3M+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.5★ average from 40 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security places #10 on merit, 4.7★ from 5039 reviews, but shows at wp.org #16. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423) wp.org #1 2 Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7519) wp.org #2 3 Disable Admin Notices – Hide Dashboard Notifications 100K+ · 4.7★ (367) wp.org #5 2 too low 4 Advanced Editor Tools 1M+ · 4.5★ (354) wp.org #4 5 Site Kit by Google – Analytics, Search Console, AdSense, Speed 5M+ · 4.2★ (1012) wp.org #9 ↑1 4 too low 6 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322) wp.org #10 ↑1 4 too low 7 WooCommerce 7M+ · 4.5★ (4833) wp.org #8 1 too low 8 BrikPanel: WooCommerce Dashboard & Analytics, Abandoned Cart Recovery, Order Export, Inventory Management & Bulk Editor 1K+ · 5.0★ (55) wp.org #6 ↑1 2 too high 9 Admin Custom Login 10K+ · 4.6★ (388) wp.org #14 5 too low 10 Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) wp.org #16 6 too low 11 Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408) wp.org #13 ↓7 2 too low 12 Hostinger Tools 3M+ · 3.5★ (40) wp.org #3 9 too high 13 User Admin Simplifier 10K+ · 5.0★ (31) wp.org #12 ↑1 1 too high 14 Debug Log Manager Tool 3K+ · 5.0★ (22) wp.org #7 ↑2 7 too high 15 All in One SEO – AI SEO Plugin to Boost SEO Rankings & Traffic (Schema, Local SEO, Sitemap & SEO Insights) 2M+ · 4.7★ (5231) wp.org #20 5 too low 16 F Featured Image Admin Thumb 20K+ · 4.7★ (40) wp.org #15 1 too high 17 Admin Bar Editor – Toolbar Customization with User Role based access & Custom menus 3K+ · 4.4★ (24) wp.org #11 ↑1 6 too high 18 Church Admin 900+ · 4.7★ (17) wp.org #21 ↑1 3 too low 19 Admin Management Xtended 5K+ · 4.6★ (18) wp.org #17 2 too high 20 All In One Login 60K+ · 3.6★ (35) wp.org #24 ↓1 4 too low 21 Hide Admin Bar Based on User Roles – Disable the WordPress Toolbar by Role or Capability 20K+ · 3.9★ (20) wp.org #23 2 too low 22 Greek Multi Tool 1K+ · 4.6★ (9) wp.org #18 ↑1 4 too high 23 LWS Tools 10K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #22 ↑2 1 too high 24 Remove Admin Bar logo 1K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #19 ↑2 5 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.