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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “clean admin”

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 “clean admin”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 of the top 20. 1 plugin is 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

Clean WP Admin Theme – Simple design shows at wp.org #8 but places #17 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 100+ 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

Asset CleanUp: Page Speed Booster places #11 on merit, 4.9★ from 1564 reviews, but shows at wp.org #17. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423) wp.org #1 2 Admin Columns 100K+ · 4.9★ (1652) wp.org #2 3 WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance 1M+ · 4.8★ (2617) wp.org #3 4 Clean Login 5K+ · 4.7★ (144) wp.org #4 ↑2 5 Disable Admin Notices – Hide Dashboard Notifications 100K+ · 4.7★ (367) wp.org #6 ↓1 1 too low 6 Media Cleaner: Delete Unused Images & Clean Your Media Library 90K+ · 4.6★ (779) wp.org #7 ↑2 1 too low 7 Advanced Database Cleaner – Optimize & Clean Database to Speed Up Site Performance 100K+ · 4.9★ (1962) wp.org #12 ↓4 5 too low 8 Contact Form Clean and Simple 7K+ · 4.7★ (195) wp.org #9 ↑1 1 too low 9 BrikPanel: WooCommerce Dashboard & Analytics, Abandoned Cart Recovery, Order Export, Inventory Management & Bulk Editor 1K+ · 5.0★ (55) wp.org #5 ↓1 4 too high 10 Admin Custom Login 10K+ · 4.6★ (388) wp.org #13 3 too low 11 Asset CleanUp: Page Speed Booster 100K+ · 4.9★ (1564) wp.org #17 6 too low 12 Controlled Admin Access 10K+ · 4.8★ (45) wp.org #11 ↑1 1 too high 13 PublishPress Capabilities: User Role Access Control, Admin Area Permissions 90K+ · 4.7★ (143) wp.org #19 6 too low 14 Admin Bar Editor – Toolbar Customization with User Role based access & Custom menus 3K+ · 4.4★ (24) wp.org #10 ↑1 4 too high 15 Auto Hide Admin Bar 3K+ · 4.8★ (32) wp.org #15 16 Hide admin notices – Admin Notification Center 7K+ · 5.0★ (14) wp.org #18 2 too low 17 Clean WP Admin Theme – Simple design 100+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #8 ↓1 9 too high 18 Hide Admin Bar Based on User Roles – Disable the WordPress Toolbar by Role or Capability 20K+ · 3.9★ (20) wp.org #21 3 too low 19 Clean unused shortcodes 300+ · 4.4★ (7) wp.org #14 5 too high 20 Admin login URL Change 2K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #20 21 Media Export & Clean 200+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #16 5 too high 22 Easy Dashboard – Clean Admin Welcome Screen 40+ · 4.4★ (5) wp.org #22 23 Unnotifier — disable admin notices individually 1K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #24 1 too low 24 Simplify Admin Menus 80+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #23 ↑1 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.