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← Rankings

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

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 “benchmarking”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 16 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

CodeTelemetryLab Admin Performance Inspector shows at wp.org #9 but places #17 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its — 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

WPeMatico RSS Feed Fetcher places #4 on merit, 4.8★ from 514 reviews, but shows at wp.org #22. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Advanced WordPress Reset – Debug, Recover & Reset WP 10K+ · 4.9★ (1233) wp.org #2 1 too low 2 Hosting Benchmark tool 4K+ · 4.7★ (33) wp.org #1 1 too high 3 Site Kit by Google – Analytics, Search Console, AdSense, Speed 5M+ · 4.2★ (1012) wp.org #5 2 too low 4 WPeMatico RSS Feed Fetcher 10K+ · 4.8★ (514) wp.org #22 ↓3 18 too low 5 SQLite Object Cache 10K+ · 5.0★ (51) wp.org #18 ↓2 13 too low 6 PHP Vitals 300+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #3 ↑1 3 too high 7 Speedtest Pro 30+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #7 ↓1 8 WebDefender Security – Protection & AntiSpam 1K+ · 4.0★ (18) wp.org #23 ↓3 15 too low 9 Repoevo – Plugin Analytics, Keyword Tracking & Competitor Monitoring 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #4 ↓1 5 too high 10 Topper System SEO 10+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #24 ↓3 14 too low 11 42A AI Visibility – Agentic Enablement Layer (AEL) 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #6 ↓1 5 too high 12 SurveyX Builder – Survey, Poll, Quiz & Feedback Form 2K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #19 ↓2 7 too low 13 Bat Activity Log 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #8 ↓1 5 too high 14 Set Price Note (Units, Offers, Editions) for WooCommerce 700+ · 4.7★ (3) wp.org #21 ↓3 7 too low 15 Teaching Impact Score Lite — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #10 ↓1 5 too high 16 Online Buyer Survey by Bizrate Insights — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #11 ↓1 5 too high 17 CodeTelemetryLab Admin Performance Inspector — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #9 ↓1 8 too high 18 Korizo — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #12 6 too high 19 HealthSweep Site Monitor – Advanced Site Health & Performance Tools — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #13 ↓2 6 too high 20 Hyoka – Product Reviews, Photo Reviews, Customer Reviews & Testimonials for WooCommerce — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #14 6 too high 21 Mustkit Intent & CRO for WooCommerce — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #15 ↓2 6 too high 22 D Dango System Utilities — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #16 ↓2 6 too high 23 Bulk COGS Editor for WooCommerce — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 6 too high 24 ZTR Zeumic Work Timer 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #20 ↓5 4 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.