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

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 date”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 of the top 20. 3 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

WPC Estimated Delivery Date for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #10 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 10K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.0★ average from 9 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Folders – Unlimited Folders to Organize Media Library Folder, Pages, Posts, File Manager places #8 on merit, 5.0★ from 1526 reviews, but shows at wp.org #18. 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 #2 ↓1 1 too low 2 Bulk Datetime Change 6K+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #1 ↑1 1 too high 3 پارسی دیت – Parsi Date 100K+ · 4.6★ (130) wp.org #4 ↑1 1 too low 4 W WP Meta and Date Remover 80K+ · 4.2★ (71) wp.org #3 1 too high 5 Simple History – Track, Log, and Audit WordPress Changes 300K+ · 4.9★ (491) wp.org #7 2 too low 6 Activity Log – Monitor User and Agent Changes 200K+ · 4.3★ (74) wp.org #5 ↑1 1 too high 7 WP Date and Time Shortcode 10K+ · 4.9★ (31) wp.org #6 ↓2 1 too high 8 Folders – Unlimited Folders to Organize Media Library Folder, Pages, Posts, File Manager 90K+ · 5.0★ (1526) wp.org #18 10 too low 9 Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) wp.org #14 ↓1 5 too low 10 Shortcode for Current Date 10K+ · 5.0★ (116) wp.org #16 6 too low 11 Show modified Date in admin lists 6K+ · 4.9★ (32) wp.org #12 ↓1 1 too low 12 Order Delivery Date for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.3★ (61) wp.org #9 3 too high 13 Bangla Date Display 4K+ · 4.6★ (11) wp.org #8 5 too high 14 All In One Login 60K+ · 3.6★ (35) wp.org #11 ↑4 3 too high 15 Delivery & Pickup Date Time for WooCommerce 5K+ · 4.9★ (282) wp.org #22 7 too low 16 PublishPress Revisions: Duplicate Posts, Submit, Approve and Schedule Content Changes 10K+ · 4.6★ (66) wp.org #24 8 too low 17 WP Hebrew Date 600+ · 5.0★ (9) wp.org #15 ↓1 2 too high 18 Change Last Modified Date 3K+ · 4.3★ (12) wp.org #13 ↓1 5 too high 19 Date Time Picker for Contact Form 7 20K+ · 3.3★ (21) wp.org #20 1 too low 20 First payment date for WooCommerce Subscriptions 400+ · 4.7★ (10) wp.org #21 1 too low 21 WPC Estimated Delivery Date for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.0★ (9) wp.org #10 11 too high 22 Date Picker For Contact Form 7 4K+ · 3.9★ (7) wp.org #19 3 too high 23 Date Time Picker for WPForms 1K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #17 6 too high 24 Advanced Datepicker – Restricts Date for WPForms 300+ · 5.0★ (2) 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.