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

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 database”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 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

CodingBunny Database Cleaner shows at wp.org #7 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 200+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Asset CleanUp: Page Speed Booster places #12 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 WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance 1M+ · 4.8★ (2617) wp.org #1 2 Advanced Database Cleaner – Optimize & Clean Database to Speed Up Site Performance 100K+ · 4.9★ (1962) wp.org #2 3 Database Cleaner: Cleanup, Optimization & Repair 10K+ · 5.0★ (150) wp.org #3 4 Optimize Database after Deleting Revisions 60K+ · 4.7★ (181) wp.org #4 5 UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8706) wp.org #9 ↑1 4 too low 6 Database Reset 10K+ · 4.5★ (77) wp.org #5 1 too high 7 Media Cleaner: Delete Unused Images & Clean Your Media Library 90K+ · 4.6★ (779) wp.org #10 ↓1 3 too low 8 WP Bulk Delete 90K+ · 4.6★ (131) wp.org #8 ↑3 9 Super Page Cache – Cloudflare Cache, Page Speed & Core Web Vitals 70K+ · 4.8★ (517) wp.org #12 ↑2 3 too low 10 FastPixel Cache – Optimize Page Speed: Compress Images, Minify, Clean Database & CDN 4K+ · 4.8★ (50) wp.org #6 4 too high 11 WP Fastest Cache – WordPress Cache Plugin 1M+ · 4.9★ (4228) wp.org #15 ↑4 4 too low 12 Asset CleanUp: Page Speed Booster 100K+ · 4.9★ (1564) wp.org #17 ↓4 5 too low 13 Bulk Delete 30K+ · 4.3★ (129) wp.org #13 ↑2 14 W3 Total Cache 900K+ · 4.4★ (5420) wp.org #23 9 too low 15 Burst Statistics – Simple WordPress Analytics (Google Analytics Alternative) 200K+ · 4.9★ (186) wp.org #22 ↑2 7 too low 16 Plugins Garbage Collector (Database Cleanup) 10K+ · 4.4★ (92) wp.org #19 ↓1 3 too low 17 CF7 Apps – Addons for Contact Form 7 (Honeypot, Database, Redirection, Webhook, etc.) 300K+ · 3.8★ (135) wp.org #11 ↑1 6 too high 18 Clean unused shortcodes 300+ · 4.4★ (7) wp.org #14 ↑2 4 too high 19 CodingBunny Database Cleaner 200+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #7 ↑1 12 too high 20 A Autoload Checker 3K+ · 4.2★ (10) wp.org #20 ↑1 21 Media Export & Clean 200+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #16 ↑4 5 too high 22 atec Database 90+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #18 ↓1 4 too high 23 ScanForge Database Security 70+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #21 ↑1 2 too high 24 Autoload Optimizer 700+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #24 ↓1

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.