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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “autoptimize”

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 “autoptimize”, 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

Clear Autoptimize Cache Automatically shows at wp.org #2 but places #14 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 4K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.0★ average from 4 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Hide My WP Ghost – Security & Firewall places #10 on merit, 4.5★ from 373 reviews, but shows at wp.org #18. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Autoptimize 800K+ · 4.7★ (1428) wp.org #1 2 Super Page Cache – Cloudflare Cache, Page Speed & Core Web Vitals 70K+ · 4.8★ (517) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 Page Builder by SiteOrigin 400K+ · 4.8★ (1005) wp.org #4 1 too low 4 Cache Enabler 100K+ · 4.3★ (139) wp.org #5 1 too low 5 WP Meteor Website Speed Optimization Addon 20K+ · 4.7★ (77) wp.org #6 1 too low 6 OMGF | GDPR/DSGVO Compliant, Faster Google Fonts. Easy. 300K+ · 4.7★ (213) wp.org #8 ↑2 2 too low 7 FooGallery Photo Gallery : Image, Video & Masonry Galleries 100K+ · 4.8★ (995) wp.org #10 ↓1 3 too low 8 SiteOrigin Widgets Bundle 400K+ · 4.9★ (134) wp.org #9 ↓1 1 too low 9 Unbloater 5K+ · 5.0★ (17) wp.org #7 2 too high 10 Hide My WP Ghost – Security & Firewall 100K+ · 4.5★ (373) wp.org #18 8 too low 11 Hyper Cache 7K+ · 4.5★ (82) wp.org #13 2 too low 12 C Clear Cache for Me 40K+ · 4.8★ (29) wp.org #12 ↑2 13 Lightbox & Modal Popup WordPress Plugin – FooBox 100K+ · 3.9★ (95) wp.org #14 ↓2 1 too low 14 Clear Autoptimize Cache Automatically 4K+ · 4.0★ (4) wp.org #2 12 too high 15 a3 Lazy Load 80K+ · 4.3★ (148) wp.org #22 ↑1 7 too low 16 EXMAGE – WordPress Image Links 5K+ · 5.0★ (33) wp.org #20 ↓1 4 too low 17 Faview – Virtual Reviews for WooCommerce 6K+ · 4.6★ (54) wp.org #16 1 too high 18 Disable Everything 30K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #11 7 too high 19 Reduce Unused CSS Solution with Critical CSS For WP 1K+ · 3.8★ (13) wp.org #15 ↑1 4 too high 20 Thanko Thank You Page Customizer for WooCommerce 3K+ · 4.5★ (37) wp.org #24 ↓4 4 too low 21 The Cache Purger 1K+ · 4.5★ (6) wp.org #17 4 too high 22 ZenPress 60+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #23 ↓1 1 too low 23 Light Views Counter – Fast, Scalable View Counter for High-Traffic Sites 3K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #19 ↓4 4 too high 24 Clear Cache Everywhere 1K+ · 5.0★ (1) 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.