wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “category link”
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 “category link”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 7 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
No Category Parents shows at wp.org #10 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 6K+ 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
Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings places #12 on merit, 4.8★ from 7520 reviews, but shows at wp.org #21. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Broken Link Checker 500K+ · 3.8★ (605)
wp.org #1 2 
PrettyLinks – Affiliate Link Management, URL Shortener, Link Cloaking, Tracking & Branded Short Links 200K+ · 4.8★ (1322)
wp.org #2 3 
Link Library 10K+ · 4.7★ (97)
wp.org #3 4 
No Category Base (WPML) 100K+ · 4.5★ (34)
wp.org #4 5 
Category AJAX Filter – Posts, Custom Post Types & Product Filter 6K+ · 4.9★ (158)
wp.org #8 3 too low 6 
Broken Link Checker by AIOSEO – Find & Fix Broken Internal, External & Video Links 200K+ · 3.8★ (87)
wp.org #5 1 too high 7 
Category Posts Block 40K+ · 4.5★ (79)
wp.org #7 8 
Remove Category URL – Remove ‘category’ base from category permalinks 40K+ · 4.3★ (61)
wp.org #6 2 too high 9 
Product Category Slider & Grid for WooCommerce – Reno Product Category 9K+ · 4.8★ (91)
wp.org #9 10 
Link Whisper Free 30K+ · 4.2★ (151)
wp.org #11 1 too low 11 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322)
wp.org #18 7 too low 12 Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7520)
wp.org #21 9 too low 13 
Category Order and Taxonomy Terms Order 500K+ · 4.5★ (162)
wp.org #13 14 
Internal Links Manager 10K+ · 4.8★ (33)
wp.org #12 2 too high 15 
ThirstyAffiliates – Affiliate Links, Link Branding, Link Tracking & Marketing Plugin 30K+ · 4.6★ (251)
wp.org #20 5 too low 16 
Simple Link Directory – AI Powered 2K+ · 4.8★ (121)
wp.org #17 1 too low 17 
BetterLinks – Link Shortener, Link Cloaking, Redirects, Affiliate Link Manager & MCP 20K+ · 4.8★ (85)
wp.org #23 6 too low 18 
WP Media Category Management 6K+ · 4.7★ (35)
wp.org #16 2 too high 19 
Category Posts in Custom Menu 2K+ · 4.8★ (43)
wp.org #24 5 too low 20 
Same Category Posts 3K+ · 4.7★ (13) thin reviews
wp.org #15 5 too high 21 
Comment Link Remove and Other Comment Tools 8K+ · 4.1★ (15) thin reviews
wp.org #14 7 too high 22 
Broken Link Notifier 1K+ · 4.8★ (14) thin reviews
wp.org #19 3 too high 23 No Category Parents 6K+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #10 13 too high 24 
Product Category Showcase for WooCommerce 1K+ · 5.0★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #22 2 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.