Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

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

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

Dashboard Cleaner shows at wp.org #10 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 400+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 5 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

WPS Hide Login places #11 on merit, 4.8★ from 2111 reviews, but shows at wp.org #23. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Media Cleaner: Delete Unused Images & Clean Your Media Library 90K+ · 4.6★ (779) wp.org #1 2 Database Cleaner: Cleanup, Optimization & Repair 10K+ · 5.0★ (150) wp.org #2 ↑2 3 Advanced Database Cleaner – Optimize & Clean Database to Speed Up Site Performance 100K+ · 4.9★ (1962) wp.org #4 ↓2 1 too low 4 LiteSpeed Cache 7M+ · 4.8★ (2778) wp.org #7 ↓1 3 too low 5 LWS Cleaner 20K+ · 4.8★ (16) wp.org #3 2 too high 6 MalCare WordPress Security Plugin – Malware Scanner, Cleaner, Security Firewall 100K+ · 4.4★ (559) wp.org #8 ↑1 2 too low 7 WPS Cleaner 10K+ · 4.3★ (99) wp.org #6 ↓1 1 too high 8 Log cleaner for Kadence Security 7K+ · 5.0★ (22) wp.org #5 3 too high 9 Widgets for Google Reviews 1M+ · 4.9★ (2667) wp.org #15 6 too low 10 WP Fastest Cache – WordPress Cache Plugin 1M+ · 4.9★ (4228) wp.org #16 6 too low 11 WPS Hide Login 2M+ · 4.8★ (2111) wp.org #23 ↓1 12 too low 12 Transient Cleaner 1K+ · 5.0★ (23) wp.org #14 ↓1 2 too low 13 WP Comment Cleaner – Delete All Comments, Disable Comments, Bulk Delete & Remove Comments 20K+ · 4.7★ (58) wp.org #20 ↓2 7 too low 14 E Easy WP Cleaner 2K+ · 5.0★ (41) wp.org #22 ↓5 8 too low 15 Easy Actions Scheduler Cleaner 900+ · 5.0★ (9) wp.org #12 ↓2 3 too high 16 WS Action Scheduler Cleaner 3K+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #9 ↓2 7 too high 17 W wp_head() cleaner 2K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #11 6 too high 18 Dashboard Cleaner 400+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #10 ↓2 8 too high 19 WP Cron Cleaner 400+ · 3.4★ (12) wp.org #18 ↓3 1 too high 20 Cache Cleaner X-Ray – Performance & Database Diagnostics 200+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #17 3 too high 21 CodingBunny Database Cleaner 200+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #13 ↓1 8 too high 22 Auto Attachments Cleaner 60+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #24 2 too low 23 DevDome Media Cleaner: Remove Unused Images & Media Library Cleanup 400+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #19 ↑1 4 too high 24 Auto Post Cleaner 1K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #21 ↓2 3 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.