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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “cleanup 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 “cleanup database”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 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

CodingBunny Database Cleaner shows at wp.org #6 but places #17 on merit, a gap of 11 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

Burst Statistics – Simple WordPress Analytics (Google Analytics Alternative) places #12 on merit, 4.9★ from 186 reviews, but shows at wp.org #20. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Database Cleaner: Cleanup, Optimization & Repair 10K+ · 5.0★ (150) wp.org #1 2 Advanced Database Cleaner – Optimize & Clean Database to Speed Up Site Performance 100K+ · 4.9★ (1962) wp.org #2 3 Optimize Database after Deleting Revisions 60K+ · 4.7★ (181) wp.org #3 4 WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance 1M+ · 4.8★ (2617) wp.org #4 5 UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8706) wp.org #7 ↓1 2 too low 6 Asset CleanUp: Page Speed Booster 100K+ · 4.9★ (1564) wp.org #8 2 too low 7 Plugins Garbage Collector (Database Cleanup) 10K+ · 4.4★ (92) wp.org #5 2 too high 8 WP Fastest Cache – WordPress Cache Plugin 1M+ · 4.9★ (4228) wp.org #11 3 too low 9 Super Page Cache – Cloudflare Cache, Page Speed & Core Web Vitals 70K+ · 4.8★ (517) wp.org #13 4 too low 10 WP-Sweep 100K+ · 4.7★ (138) wp.org #17 7 too low 11 BackWPup – WordPress Backup & Restore Plugin 400K+ · 4.0★ (1323) wp.org #15 ↑3 4 too low 12 Burst Statistics – Simple WordPress Analytics (Google Analytics Alternative) 200K+ · 4.9★ (186) wp.org #20 ↑1 8 too low 13 Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ · 4.7★ (1667) wp.org #23 10 too low 14 CF7 Apps – Addons for Contact Form 7 (Honeypot, Database, Redirection, Webhook, etc.) 300K+ · 3.8★ (135) wp.org #9 5 too high 15 Breeze Cache 300K+ · 3.6★ (133) wp.org #18 ↓3 3 too low 16 SpeedyCache – Cache, Optimization, Performance 500K+ · 4.4★ (30) wp.org #21 ↓1 5 too low 17 CodingBunny Database Cleaner 200+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #6 ↑1 11 too high 18 Q qTranslate X Cleanup and WPML Import 800+ · 3.5★ (26) wp.org #24 ↓1 6 too low 19 Falcon – Cache, Performance, Security, Cleanup, and Tweaks 2K+ · 5.0★ (10) wp.org #19 20 atec Database 90+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #12 8 too high 21 Cleanup Action Scheduler 1K+ · 3.2★ (6) wp.org #10 11 too high 22 SweepPress: Website Cleanup and Optimization 500+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #16 6 too high 23 Cleanup Orphan Images 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #14 9 too high 24 Feather – Elementor Performance Optimizer | Asset Cleanup, Page Speed & Database Cleanup 90+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #22 2 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.