wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “advanced import”
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 “advanced import”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 7 of the top 20. 4 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 All Import – Import Add-On for ACF shows at wp.org #10 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 14 places. Its 50K+ 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
TablePress – Tables in WordPress made easy places #11 on merit, 5.0★ from 4625 reviews, but shows at wp.org #19. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) 2M+ · 4.5★ (1440) heavy footprint
wp.org #1 ↑3 2 
Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI 10M+ · 4.8★ (27821)
wp.org #3 1 too low 3 
Advanced Ads – Ad Manager & AdSense 90K+ · 4.9★ (1463) not PHP-current
wp.org #4 1 too low 4 
WP All Import – Drag & Drop Import for CSV, XML, Excel & Google Sheets 100K+ · 4.7★ (1966)
wp.org #9 ↓2 5 too low 5 
Advanced Editor Tools 1M+ · 4.5★ (354)
wp.org #5 ↓3 6 
Import and export users and customers 70K+ · 4.7★ (259)
wp.org #7 ↓1 1 too low 7 
Advanced Import 80K+ · 4.4★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #2 ↓1 5 too high 8 
Advanced Shipment Tracking for WooCommerce 70K+ · 4.5★ (355) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #6 ↓1 2 too high 9 
ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2051)
wp.org #11 ↓2 2 too low 10 
Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7519)
wp.org #16 ↓2 6 too low 11 TablePress – Tables in WordPress made easy 600K+ · 5.0★ (4625)
wp.org #19 ↑3 8 too low 12 
Advanced IP Blocker 3K+ · 4.9★ (27)
wp.org #8 ↑2 4 too high 13 
Export and Import Users and Customers 50K+ · 4.8★ (442) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #12 ↑1 1 too high 14 
WP All Import – Product Import for WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.7★ (276)
wp.org #18 ↓3 4 too low 15 
Order Export & Order Import for WooCommerce 50K+ · 4.7★ (337) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #13 ↓1 2 too high 16 
Advanced WordPress Backgrounds 30K+ · 4.8★ (44)
wp.org #14 ↑4 2 too high 17 
WP Import Export Lite 40K+ · 4.0★ (113)
wp.org #15 ↑1 2 too high 18 
All in One SEO – AI SEO Plugin to Boost SEO Rankings & Traffic (Schema, Local SEO, Sitemap & SEO Insights) 2M+ · 4.7★ (5231) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #22 ↓3 4 too low 19 
Product Import Export for WooCommerce – CSV Product Importer & Exporter 80K+ · 4.6★ (413) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #17 ↓6 2 too high 20 
Headers Security Advanced & HSTS WP 90K+ · 4.8★ (80)
wp.org #20 ↓3 21 
Duplicator – Backups & Migration Plugin – Cloud Backups, Scheduled Backups, & More 1M+ · 4.9★ (4940) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #21 ↓1 22 
Import Social Events 3K+ · 4.8★ (116)
wp.org #23 ↓2 1 too low 23 
Advanced Forms for ACF 3K+ · 5.0★ (41)
wp.org #24 1 too low 24 WP All Import – Import Add-On for ACF 50K+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #10 ↓2 14 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.