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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “alternative permalink”

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 “alternative permalink”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 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

Optimization Detective shows at wp.org #12 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 60K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.3★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

MainWP Dashboard: Self-hosted WordPress Management for Agencies places #7 on merit, 4.9★ from 2354 reviews, but shows at wp.org #15. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Pods – Custom Content Types and Fields 100K+ · 4.8★ (418) wp.org #1 2 Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 404 to 301 – Redirect Manager, 301 Redirection, 404 Error Logs & 404 Monitoring 100K+ · 4.7★ (321) wp.org #4 1 too low 4 Secondary Title 7K+ · 4.9★ (72) wp.org #5 1 too low 5 Advanced Ads – Ad Manager & AdSense 90K+ · 4.9★ (1463) wp.org #8 3 too low 6 Plausible Analytics 10K+ · 5.0★ (29) wp.org #7 1 too low 7 MainWP Dashboard: Self-hosted WordPress Management for Agencies 20K+ · 4.9★ (2354) wp.org #15 8 too low 8 Advanced Custom Fields: Extended 100K+ · 4.8★ (132) wp.org #11 3 too low 9 E External Permalinks Redux 2K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #2 7 too high 10 WebP Express 300K+ · 4.4★ (162) wp.org #10 11 TrackShip for WooCommerce 6K+ · 4.7★ (52) wp.org #6 5 too high 12 Download Plugins and Themes in ZIP from Dashboard 30K+ · 4.9★ (27) wp.org #9 3 too high 13 CM Tooltip Glossary 7K+ · 4.3★ (157) wp.org #13 14 PublishPress Capabilities: User Role Access Control, Admin Area Permissions 90K+ · 4.7★ (143) wp.org #16 2 too low 15 Featured Image from URL (FIFU) 60K+ · 4.6★ (264) wp.org #23 8 too low 16 Uncanny Automator – AI + Automation for WordPress | AI Agent, AI Page Builder, Free AI Usage Included 40K+ · 4.9★ (157) wp.org #19 3 too low 17 Remove CPT base 10K+ · 5.0★ (33) wp.org #17 18 CartFlows – Funnel Builder & Checkout Plugin for WooCommerce 200K+ · 4.8★ (517) wp.org #21 3 too low 19 Cooked – Recipe Management 3K+ · 3.9★ (90) wp.org #20 1 too low 20 Event Organiser 20K+ · 4.6★ (140) wp.org #24 4 too low 21 WP Inventory Manager 1K+ · 4.6★ (32) wp.org #18 3 too high 22 Vireo Analytics – Cookieless WordPress Stats & Google Analytics Alternative 20+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #14 8 too high 23 OpenPorte Spam Protection 500+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #22 1 too high 24 Optimization Detective 60K+ · 4.3★ (3) wp.org #12 12 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.