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← Rankings

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

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 “change”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 of the top 20. 2 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

Admin login URL Change shows at wp.org #10 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 2K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 4 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin places #8 on merit, 4.8★ from 8708 reviews, but shows at wp.org #24. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Schedule Post Changes With PublishPress Future: Unpublish, Delete, Change Status, Trash, Change Categories 100K+ · 4.5★ (172) wp.org #1 2 Simple History – Track, Log, and Audit WordPress Changes 300K+ · 4.9★ (491) wp.org #3 ↑5 1 too low 3 Activity Log – Monitor User and Agent Changes 200K+ · 4.3★ (74) wp.org #2 1 too high 4 Change Admin Email 40K+ · 4.8★ (141) wp.org #4 ↑2 5 Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) wp.org #7 ↓3 2 too low 6 Simple Admin Language Change 10K+ · 4.7★ (22) wp.org #5 ↓2 1 too high 7 Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408) wp.org #14 7 too low 8 UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8708) wp.org #24 ↓1 16 too low 9 PublishPress Revisions: Duplicate Posts, Submit, Approve and Schedule Content Changes 10K+ · 4.6★ (66) wp.org #17 ↑4 8 too low 10 Change Text Case 1K+ · 4.8★ (21) wp.org #11 1 too low 11 WP Change Email Sender 10K+ · 4.9★ (10) wp.org #9 2 too high 12 Change Quantity on Checkout for WooCommerce 4K+ · 5.0★ (52) wp.org #13 ↓1 1 too low 13 Bulk Datetime Change 6K+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #8 ↓1 5 too high 14 Change Username 4K+ · 4.6★ (7) wp.org #6 ↓1 8 too high 15 Change Storefront Footer Copyright Text 3K+ · 4.9★ (34) wp.org #20 ↓2 5 too low 16 Change Table Prefix 1K+ · 3.8★ (55) wp.org #22 ↓3 6 too low 17 All In One Login 60K+ · 3.6★ (35) wp.org #19 2 too low 18 List Last Changes 1K+ · 4.8★ (11) wp.org #21 ↑1 3 too low 19 Admin login URL Change 2K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #10 9 too high 20 Change WordPress Admin Logo 400+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #18 ↓1 2 too high 21 Change Price Title for WooCommerce 3K+ · 3.8★ (10) wp.org #12 ↑3 9 too high 22 Change Author Link Structure 600+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #15 ↓1 7 too high 23 Change Proceed To Checkout Text 200+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #23 ↑1 24 Change Product Author For WooCommerce 400+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #16 8 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.