wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “article author”
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 “article author”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 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 Author Archive shows at wp.org #3 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 16 places. Its 500+ 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
Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings places #10 on merit, 4.8★ from 7520 reviews, but shows at wp.org #21. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Molongui Authorship – Author Boxes, Guest Authors & Co-Authors for WordPress 10K+ · 4.7★ (158)
wp.org #1 2 
All in One SEO – AI SEO Plugin to Boost SEO Rankings & Traffic (Schema, Local SEO, Sitemap & SEO Insights) 2M+ · 4.7★ (5231)
wp.org #2 3 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322)
wp.org #4 1 too low 4 
Advanced Ads – Ad Manager & AdSense 90K+ · 4.9★ (1463)
wp.org #8 ↑14 4 too low 5 
OG — Better Share on Social Media 20K+ · 4.8★ (216)
wp.org #7 2 too low 6 
Social Preview and Open Graph Tags 50K+ · 4.6★ (122)
wp.org #6 7 
The SEO Framework – Fast, Automated, Effortless. 200K+ · 4.9★ (380)
wp.org #10 ↑5 3 too low 8 
WP Statistics – Simple, privacy-friendly Google Analytics alternative 500K+ · 4.1★ (758)
wp.org #9 ↑2 1 too low 9 
Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (397)
wp.org #12 ↑1 3 too low 10 Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7520)
wp.org #21 ↓1 11 too low 11 
WP RSS Aggregator – RSS Import, Feed to Post, Autoblogging, AI Content 40K+ · 4.5★ (565)
wp.org #18 ↓4 7 too low 12 
Schedule Post Changes With PublishPress Future: Unpublish, Delete, Change Status, Trash, Change Categories 100K+ · 4.5★ (172)
wp.org #15 ↓7 3 too low 13 
Head & Footer Code 100K+ · 5.0★ (51)
wp.org #13 ↓3 14 
Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2144)
wp.org #24 10 too low 15 
Schema – All In One Schema Rich Snippets 30K+ · 4.0★ (162)
wp.org #17 ↓1 2 too low 16 
SEO WRITING – AI Writer for SEO & AI Search 20K+ · 4.9★ (120)
wp.org #22 ↓1 6 too low 17 
Kubio AI Page Builder 80K+ · 4.4★ (79)
wp.org #19 ↓1 2 too low 18 
List all posts by Authors, nested Categories and Titles 600+ · 5.0★ (10) thin reviews
wp.org #11 ↓2 7 too high 19 Hide Author Archive 500+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #3 16 too high 20 
Cite This Article – Author Box & Citation 10+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #5 15 too high 21 
Author Box & Pages for E-E-A-T Optimization 200+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #14 ↓2 7 too high 22 
Leenkat Author Autocomplete 10+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews
wp.org #23 1 too low 23 
Author Kit | Effortlessly Manage author profiles and add modern author bio boxes to posts 50+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #20 ↓1 3 too high 24 
Author Bio On Hover – Author Box 40+ · 3.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #16 ↑1 8 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.