Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “ago”

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 “ago”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 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

aGo AI Chatbot, AI Chat Widget with Knowledge Base shows at wp.org #6 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 15 places. Its 100+ installs carry it up the search order; its 0.0★ average from 0 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

WP Last Modified Info places #7 on merit, 4.9★ from 854 reviews, but shows at wp.org #17. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Events Manager – Calendar, Bookings, Tickets, Appointments and more! 60K+ · 4.2★ (551) wp.org #3 2 too low 2 Meks Time Ago 10K+ · 4.3★ (9) wp.org #1 1 too high 3 reSmush.it : The original free image compressor and optimizer plugin 100K+ · 4.3★ (166) wp.org #4 1 too low 4 Simple History – Track, Log, and Audit WordPress Changes 300K+ · 4.9★ (491) wp.org #7 3 too low 5 Years Ago Today 100+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #2 3 too high 6 WP-Sweep 100K+ · 4.7★ (138) wp.org #9 3 too low 7 WP Last Modified Info 40K+ · 4.9★ (854) wp.org #17 ↑1 10 too low 8 Backup and Staging by WP Time Capsule 10K+ · 4.0★ (128) wp.org #10 ↑1 2 too low 9 Analytify – Google Analytics 4 Tracking and Reporting in WordPress 20K+ · 4.7★ (488) wp.org #19 ↓7 10 too low 10 WC Price History 5K+ · 5.0★ (27) wp.org #8 2 too high 11 Users Registration Date – Sortable Users Column 3K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #5 6 too high 12 BrikPanel: WooCommerce Dashboard & Analytics, Abandoned Cart Recovery, Order Export, Inventory Management & Bulk Editor 1K+ · 5.0★ (55) wp.org #13 ↑2 1 too low 13 AAA Autoload Optimizer 9K+ · 4.6★ (25) wp.org #11 2 too high 14 s2Member – Excellent for All Kinds of Memberships, Content Restriction Paywalls & Member Access Subscriptions 8K+ · 4.1★ (234) wp.org #23 9 too low 15 SALERT – Social Proof Notifications & Live Sales Popup 8K+ · 3.9★ (16) wp.org #12 ↓2 3 too high 16 B bbp last post 200+ · 5.0★ (10) wp.org #14 ↓1 2 too high 17 Q qTranslate X Cleanup and WPML Import 800+ · 3.5★ (26) wp.org #24 ↓1 7 too low 18 NextGenThemes jsDelivr CDN 300+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #22 ↓1 4 too low 19 Loop Grid Extender for Elementor – ACF Repeater & Smart Filters 1K+ · 5.0★ (9) wp.org #21 ↓1 2 too low 20 WP User Activity 200+ · 3.3★ (8) wp.org #16 4 too high 21 aGo AI Chatbot, AI Chat Widget with Knowledge Base 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #6 15 too high 22 aGo Access 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #15 ↓1 7 too high 23 WP Forms + Sprout Invoices – Easy Invoice & Quote Submissions 300+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #20 ↓1 3 too high 24 WP-RelativeDate 100+ · 3.0★ (2) wp.org #18 ↓1 6 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.