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

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 “changes”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 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

Change Username shows at wp.org #12 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 4K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.6★ average from 7 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Duplicator – Backups & Migration Plugin – Cloud Backups, Scheduled Backups, & More places #12 on merit, 4.9★ from 4940 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 signals wp.org

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 ↓1 1 too low 3

Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5040) wp.org #4 1 too low 4

Activity Log – Monitor User and Agent Changes 200K+ · 4.3★ (74) wp.org #2 ↑1 2 too high 5

PublishPress Revisions: Duplicate Posts, Submit, Approve and Schedule Content Changes 10K+ · 4.6★ (66) wp.org #6 1 too low 6

Change Admin Email 40K+ · 4.8★ (141) wp.org #8 ↑2 2 too low 7

Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI 10M+ · 4.8★ (27821) wp.org #14 ↑2 7 too low 8

UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8708) wp.org #15 ↓1 7 too low 9

Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408) wp.org #9 ↑12 10

WPS Hide Login 2M+ · 4.8★ (2111) wp.org #16 ↓1 6 too low 11

List Last Changes 1K+ · 4.8★ (11) thin reviews wp.org #5 6 too high 12

Duplicator – Backups & Migration Plugin – Cloud Backups, Scheduled Backups, & More 1M+ · 4.9★ (4940) wp.org #24 ↓1 12 too low 13

WP Activity Log 300K+ · 4.7★ (490) wp.org #21 ↓10 8 too low 14

All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720) wp.org #22 8 too low 15

Simple Admin Language Change 10K+ · 4.7★ (22) thin reviews wp.org #10 ↓2 5 too high 16 E Email Post Changes 500+ · 4.0★ (13) thin reviews wp.org #7 9 too high 17

Melapress File Monitor 5K+ · 4.1★ (32) wp.org #11 ↓2 6 too high 18

Change Storefront Footer Copyright Text 3K+ · 4.9★ (34) wp.org #20 2 too low 19

Change Text Case 1K+ · 4.8★ (21) thin reviews wp.org #18 1 too high 20

Bulk Datetime Change 6K+ · 5.0★ (8) thin reviews wp.org #13 7 too high 21

WP Change Email Sender 10K+ · 4.9★ (10) thin reviews wp.org #17 4 too high 22

Change Username 4K+ · 4.6★ (7) thin reviews wp.org #12 10 too high 23

Change Price Title for WooCommerce 3K+ · 3.8★ (10) thin reviews wp.org #23 24

Admin login URL Change 2K+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews wp.org #19 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.