wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “archives”
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 “archives”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 15 of the top 20. 1 plugin is 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
Category Archives Block shows at wp.org #5 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 16 places. Its 900+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.2★ average from 5 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) places #4 on merit, 5.0★ from 423 reviews, but shows at wp.org #13. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #2 ↑1 1 too low 2 D Disable Author Archives 10K+ · 4.4★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #1 1 too high 3 
Duplicator – Backups & Migration Plugin – Cloud Backups, Scheduled Backups, & More 1M+ · 4.9★ (4940) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #7 4 too low 4 Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423)
wp.org #13 9 too low 5 
Smart Archive Page Remove 6K+ · 4.9★ (59)
wp.org #8 3 too low 6 E Expanding Archives 3K+ · 4.7★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #3 ↓1 3 too high 7 
Compact Archives 2K+ · 5.0★ (9) thin reviews
wp.org #4 3 too high 8 
WPvivid — Backup, Migration & Staging 900K+ · 4.9★ (1568)
wp.org #16 8 too low 9 
Variation Swatches for WooCommerce 300K+ · 4.8★ (926) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #12 ↑3 3 too low 10 
Archive Content with Archived Post Status 5K+ · 4.9★ (36)
wp.org #10 ↑9 11 
Simple Yearly Archive 6K+ · 4.7★ (30)
wp.org #9 ↓1 2 too high 12 
Spectra Legacy – Gutenberg Blocks 1M+ · 4.7★ (1872) heavy footprint
wp.org #18 ↓2 6 too low 13 
GenerateBlocks 200K+ · 4.9★ (122)
wp.org #17 4 too low 14 
Social Chat – Click To Chat App Button 200K+ · 4.9★ (696) not PHP-current
wp.org #23 9 too low 15 
پارسی دیت – Parsi Date 100K+ · 4.6★ (130)
wp.org #22 ↑2 7 too low 16 
BackWPup – WordPress Backup & Restore Plugin 400K+ · 4.0★ (1323) not PHP-current
wp.org #20 ↑3 4 too low 17 
Collapsing Archives 3K+ · 4.1★ (21) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #6 ↓1 11 too high 18 
Post Types Order 600K+ · 4.5★ (296)
wp.org #24 ↓4 6 too low 19 
JS Archive List 3K+ · 4.8★ (45)
wp.org #19 ↓7 20 
Xpro Theme Builder For Elementor – FREE 20K+ · 5.0★ (14) thin reviews
wp.org #14 ↑3 6 too high 21 Category Archives Block 900+ · 4.2★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #5 ↑1 16 too high 22 
Archive Page 700+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #11 ↓2 11 too high 23 
Hide Archive Label 900+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #15 ↓2 8 too high 24 
Hide Author Archive 600+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #21 3 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.