wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “archive”
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 “archive”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 of the top 20.
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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.
Ranked above its merit
Hide Archive Label shows at wp.org #5 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 18 places. Its 900+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Spectra Legacy – Gutenberg Blocks places #8 on merit, 4.7★ from 1872 reviews, but shows at wp.org #22. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Smart Archive Page Remove 6K+ · 4.9★ (59)
wp.org #1 2 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322)
wp.org #2 ↓1 3 
Simple Yearly Archive 6K+ · 4.7★ (30)
wp.org #3 ↓1 4 
Duplicator – Backups & Migration Plugin – Cloud Backups, Scheduled Backups, & More 1M+ · 4.9★ (4940)
wp.org #11 ↓3 7 too low 5 
Archive Content with Archived Post Status 5K+ · 4.9★ (36)
wp.org #6 ↑7 1 too low 6 
JS Archive List 3K+ · 4.8★ (45)
wp.org #8 ↓3 2 too low 7 
Variation Swatches for WooCommerce 300K+ · 4.8★ (926)
wp.org #17 ↑2 10 too low 8 Spectra Legacy – Gutenberg Blocks 1M+ · 4.7★ (1872)
wp.org #22 ↑2 14 too low 9 
Parsi Date | بسته فارسی ساز وردپرس و ووکامرس پارسی دیت 100K+ · 4.6★ (130)
wp.org #19 10 too low 10 
GenerateBlocks 200K+ · 4.9★ (122)
wp.org #21 ↑1 11 too low 11 
BackWPup – WordPress Backup & Restore Plugin 400K+ · 4.0★ (1323)
wp.org #24 13 too low 12 
Archive Page 700+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #4 ↓1 8 too high 13 D Disable Author Archives 10K+ · 4.4★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #9 ↓2 4 too high 14 
Compact Archives 2K+ · 5.0★ (9) thin reviews
wp.org #14 ↓3 15 
Xpro Theme Builder For Elementor – FREE 20K+ · 5.0★ (14) thin reviews
wp.org #20 5 too low 16 
Internet Archive Wayback Machine Link Fixer 1K+ · 3.8★ (8) thin reviews
wp.org #7 ↓1 9 too high 17 
Custom Query Blocks 700+ · 4.6★ (25)
wp.org #23 ↓5 6 too low 18 E Expanding Archives 3K+ · 4.7★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #12 ↓3 6 too high 19 
Collapsing Archives 3K+ · 4.1★ (21) thin reviews
wp.org #18 ↓4 1 too high 20 
Archive Title 1K+ · 5.0★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #13 ↓3 7 too high 21 
ArchiveMaster – Auto Archive and Export Old Orders for WooCommerce 100+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #15 ↓3 6 too high 22 
Category Archives Block 900+ · 4.2★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #16 ↓1 6 too high 23 Hide Archive Label 900+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #5 ↓1 18 too high 24 
Hide Author Archive 500+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #10 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.