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

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 “bugfix”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 16 of the top 20. 4 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

GatewayAPI shows at wp.org #5 but places #16 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 300+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

LoginPress | wp-login Custom Login Page Customizer places #10 on merit, 4.8★ from 1077 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 signals wp.org

Google Authenticator 20K+ · 4.3★ (135) wp.org #1 2 S SFN Easy FAQ Manager 2K+ · 4.4★ (12) thin reviews wp.org #2 3

TablePress – Tables in WordPress made easy 600K+ · 5.0★ (4625) wp.org #13 10 too low 4

Ad Invalid Click Protector (AICP) 10K+ · 4.7★ (62) wp.org #8 4 too low 5

SpeakOut! Email Petitions 2K+ · 4.8★ (43) wp.org #7 2 too low 6

Booking for Appointments and Events Calendar – Amelia 90K+ · 4.6★ (793) wp.org #17 ↑2 11 too low 7

Imagify Image Optimization: Optimize Images | Compress & Convert to WebP/AVIF 900K+ · 4.3★ (1656) wp.org #18 11 too low 8

Simple Client Dashboard 2K+ · 4.5★ (26) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #6 2 too high 9

BackWPup – WordPress Backup & Restore Plugin 400K+ · 4.0★ (1323) not PHP-current wp.org #15 ↑1 6 too low 10

LoginPress | wp-login Custom Login Page Customizer 200K+ · 4.8★ (1077) not PHP-current wp.org #22 ↓1 12 too low 11

DayOfWeek 300+ · 4.6★ (5) thin reviews wp.org #3 8 too high 12

Loco Translate 1M+ · 4.8★ (453) wp.org #20 ↑2 8 too low 13

Social Divi 1K+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews wp.org #4 9 too high 14

reCaptcha by BestWebSoft 100K+ · 3.9★ (391) wp.org #21 ↓1 7 too low 15

Advanced IP Blocker 3K+ · 4.9★ (27) wp.org #19 4 too low 16

GatewayAPI 300+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews wp.org #5 11 too high 17

PagHiper Boleto e PIX para WooCommerce 1K+ · 3.5★ (37) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #9 8 too high 18

Connect Matomo – Analytics Dashboard for WordPress 60K+ · 4.5★ (95) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #24 6 too low 19 L Lazy Load Fix for Divi 50+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews wp.org #11 8 too high 20

Lenbox CBNX 50+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews wp.org #12 8 too high 21

OTYS Plugin 100+ · 5.0★ (1) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #10 11 too high 22

Tussendoor – Open RDW 500+ · 3.3★ (4) throws errorsnot PHP-currentheavy footprint thin reviews wp.org #14 ↑1 8 too high 23

Snillrik Restaurant Menu — · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews wp.org #16 ↑1 7 too high 24

No Browser Nag 10+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews wp.org #23 1 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.