wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “avoid redirects”

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 “avoid redirects”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 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

Advanced 301 and 302 Redirect shows at wp.org #9 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 1K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 6 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) places #9 on merit, 4.9★ from 8869 reviews, but shows at wp.org #14. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

301 Redirects – Redirect Manager 300K+ · 4.7★ (578) wp.org #1 2

Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) wp.org #2 3

WP Encryption: Easy HTTPS / SSL & Free SSL certificate, HTTPS redirect 50K+ · 4.9★ (1146) wp.org #3 4

WP Force SSL & HTTPS SSL Redirect 80K+ · 4.7★ (179) wp.org #4 5

Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7519) wp.org #8 3 too low 6

Redirection 2M+ · 4.4★ (703) wp.org #6 ↓1 7

SSL Zen — SSL Certificate Installer & HTTPS Redirects 9K+ · 4.9★ (665) wp.org #10 2 too low 9

Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) 3M+ · 4.9★ (8869) wp.org #14 ↑3 5 too low 10

Disable Admin Notices – Hide Dashboard Notifications 100K+ · 4.7★ (367) wp.org #11 1 too low 11

Direct Checkout for WooCommerce 70K+ · 4.8★ (408) wp.org #13 2 too low 12

Ad Inserter – Ad Manager & AdSense Ads 300K+ · 4.9★ (2433) wp.org #17 5 too low 13

WP 404 Auto Redirect to Similar Post 30K+ · 4.9★ (113) wp.org #12 1 too high 14

ThirstyAffiliates – Affiliate Links, Link Branding, Link Tracking & Marketing Plugin 30K+ · 4.6★ (251) wp.org #16 2 too low 15

MailPoet – Newsletters, Email Marketing, and Automation 500K+ · 4.4★ (1435) wp.org #19 4 too low 16

The Off Switch (formerly WP Avoid Slow) 200+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews wp.org #5 ↑1 11 too high 17

Admin Menu Editor 300K+ · 4.6★ (312) wp.org #22 ↓2 5 too low 18

CMP – Coming Soon & Maintenance Plugin by NiteoThemes 200K+ · 4.7★ (326) wp.org #24 6 too low 19

Cyrlitera – Transliteration of Links and File Names 40K+ · 4.6★ (62) wp.org #15 ↓1 4 too high 20

ActivityPub 6K+ · 4.9★ (40) wp.org #20 ↓5 21

Advanced 301 and 302 Redirect 1K+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews wp.org #9 12 too high 22

Link Juice Keeper 10K+ · 4.7★ (15) thin reviews wp.org #18 4 too high 23

Quick Buy Now Button for WooCommerce 50K+ · 5.0★ (10) thin reviews wp.org #23 ↓2 24

Custom 404 Pro 7K+ · 4.2★ (22) thin reviews wp.org #21 ↓2 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.