wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “auto backup”
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 “auto backup”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 of the top 20. 3 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
WPvivid Backup for MainWP shows at wp.org #10 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 10K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.6★ average from 9 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Post SMTP – Complete Email Delivery and SMTP Solution with Email Logs, Alerts, Backup SMTP & Mobile App places #11 on merit, 4.7★ from 528 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.
UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8706)
wp.org #1 2 
Backup Migration 80K+ · 4.9★ (1338)
wp.org #3 1 too low 3 
Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408)
wp.org #2 1 too high 4 
WPvivid — Backup, Migration & Staging 900K+ · 4.9★ (1568)
wp.org #4 5 
All-in-One WP Migration and Backup 5M+ · 4.5★ (7676)
wp.org #6 ↑1 1 too low 6 
BackWPup – WordPress Backup & Restore Plugin 400K+ · 4.0★ (1323) not PHP-current
wp.org #5 ↑1 1 too high 7 
BlogVault Backup & Staging 80K+ · 4.6★ (332)
wp.org #8 ↑1 1 too low 8 
WP Database Backup – Unlimited Database & Files Backup by Backup for WP 20K+ · 4.5★ (102)
wp.org #7 ↑1 1 too high 9 
Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (397)
wp.org #11 ↑3 2 too low 10 
Backuply – Backup, Restore, Migrate and Clone 600K+ · 4.5★ (135)
wp.org #9 ↑3 1 too high 11 Post SMTP – Complete Email Delivery and SMTP Solution with Email Logs, Alerts, Backup SMTP & Mobile App 300K+ · 4.7★ (528)
wp.org #15 ↓2 4 too low 12 
Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) heavy footprint
wp.org #16 4 too low 13 
Easy Updates Manager 300K+ · 4.8★ (726)
wp.org #19 ↓1 6 too low 14 
Total Upkeep – WordPress Backup Plugin plus Restore & Migrate by BoldGrid 40K+ · 4.8★ (442) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #12 ↓1 2 too high 15 
Translate WordPress with GTranslate 900K+ · 4.9★ (4962)
wp.org #23 ↑1 8 too low 16 
Auto Image Attributes From Filename With Bulk Updater (Add Alt Text, Image Title For Image SEO) 100K+ · 4.8★ (93)
wp.org #21 5 too low 17 
Everest Backup – WordPress Cloud Backup, Migration, Restore & Cloning Plugin 3K+ · 4.4★ (45)
wp.org #14 ↑1 3 too high 18 
Backup and Staging by WP Time Capsule 10K+ · 4.0★ (128)
wp.org #20 ↑3 2 too low 19 WPvivid Backup for MainWP 10K+ · 4.6★ (9) thin reviews
wp.org #10 9 too high 20 
Backup Bolt – Lightweight Backup, Fast WordPress Backup to ZIP 800+ · 4.7★ (13) thin reviews
wp.org #13 7 too high 21 
WebToffee WP Backup and Migration 5K+ · 4.5★ (49) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #22 ↓3 1 too low 22 
Smart Auto Upload Images – Import External Images 5K+ · 4.3★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #18 4 too high 23 
Menu Backup & Restore + Import/Export 500+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #24 ↓2 1 too low 24 
Auto Update Post Date 2K+ · 5.0★ (2) not PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #17 7 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.