wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “block plugin update”
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 “block plugin update”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 6 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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.
Ranked above its merit
Go Live Update Urls shows at wp.org #15 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 6 places. Its 90K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.5★ average from 59 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI places #10 on merit, 4.8★ from 27820 reviews, but shows at wp.org #16. 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★ (8709)
wp.org #2 1 too low 2 
Easy Updates Manager 300K+ · 4.8★ (726)
wp.org #3 1 too low 3 
Block Plugin Update 5K+ · 4.4★ (19) thin reviews
wp.org #1 2 too high 4 
Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5040)
wp.org #4 ↓2 5 
Spectra Legacy – Gutenberg Blocks 1M+ · 4.7★ (1872)
wp.org #5 ↓1 6 
Payment Plugins for Stripe WooCommerce 100K+ · 4.8★ (303)
wp.org #6 7 
All in One SEO – AI SEO Plugin to Boost SEO Rankings & Traffic (Schema, Local SEO, Sitemap & SEO Insights) 2M+ · 4.7★ (5231)
wp.org #8 ↓3 1 too low 8 
Kadence Blocks — Page Builder Toolkit for Gutenberg Editor 600K+ · 4.8★ (333)
wp.org #7 ↑8 1 too high 9 
Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1281)
wp.org #11 2 too low 10 Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI 10M+ · 4.8★ (27820)
wp.org #16 ↑1 6 too low 11 
Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (397)
wp.org #12 ↑10 1 too low 12 
Business Directory Plugin – Easy Listing & Member Directories for WordPress 10K+ · 4.6★ (504)
wp.org #14 ↑5 2 too low 13 
BackWPup – WordPress Backup & Restore Plugin 400K+ · 4.0★ (1323)
wp.org #13 ↑1 14 
IP Location Block 10K+ · 4.5★ (35)
wp.org #9 5 too high 15 
The Icon Block 40K+ · 5.0★ (29)
wp.org #10 ↓3 5 too high 16 
GiveWP – Donation Plugin and Fundraising Platform 100K+ · 4.6★ (708)
wp.org #22 ↓8 6 too low 17 
WP Fastest Cache – WordPress Cache Plugin 1M+ · 4.9★ (4229)
wp.org #24 7 too low 18 
Block Visibility — Conditional Visibility Control for the Block Editor 40K+ · 4.9★ (108)
wp.org #18 ↓5 19 
WooCommerce 7M+ · 4.5★ (4833)
wp.org #23 ↓12 4 too low 20 
Carousel Slider Block for Gutenberg 50K+ · 4.8★ (59)
wp.org #17 ↓10 3 too high 21 Go Live Update Urls 90K+ · 4.5★ (59)
wp.org #15 ↓5 6 too high 22 
SVG Block 4K+ · 5.0★ (14) thin reviews
wp.org #20 2 too high 23 
Disable Auto Update Emails and Block Updates for Plugins, WP Core, and Themes 4K+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #21 ↓2 2 too high 24 
VK Block Patterns 100K+ · 5.0★ (2) host-installed base thin reviews
wp.org #19 ↓2 5 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.