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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “client dashboard”

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 “client dashboard”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 of the top 20. 5 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

Automattic For Agencies Client shows at wp.org #7 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 14 places. Its 20K+ 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

Frontend Dashboard places #10 on merit, 4.9★ from 136 reviews, but shows at wp.org #19. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 BrikPanel: WooCommerce Dashboard & Analytics, Abandoned Cart Recovery, Order Export, Inventory Management & Bulk Editor 1K+ · 5.0★ (55) wp.org #1 ↑1 2 InfiniteWP Client 200K+ · 4.4★ (177) wp.org #2 ↓1 3 Ultimate Dashboard – Custom WordPress Dashboard 50K+ · 4.6★ (114) wp.org #4 ↑3 1 too low 4 WooCommerce 7M+ · 4.5★ (4833) wp.org #6 ↓1 2 too low 5 Simple Client Dashboard 2K+ · 4.5★ (26) wp.org #3 ↑1 2 too high 6 MonsterInsights – Google Analytics Dashboard for WordPress (Website Stats Made Easy) 2M+ · 4.5★ (3156) wp.org #8 ↓5 2 too low 7 MainWP Dashboard: Self-hosted WordPress Management for Agencies 20K+ · 4.9★ (2354) wp.org #15 8 too low 8 Remove Dashboard Access 30K+ · 4.6★ (78) wp.org #11 3 too low 9 WP Data Access – App Builder for Tables, Forms, Dashboards, Charts & Maps 10K+ · 4.9★ (88) wp.org #17 ↑5 8 too low 10 Frontend Dashboard 500+ · 4.9★ (136) wp.org #19 9 too low 11 Download Plugins and Themes in ZIP from Dashboard 30K+ · 4.9★ (27) wp.org #12 1 too low 12 MainWP Child – Securely Connects to the MainWP Dashboard to Manage Multiple Sites 700K+ · 5.0★ (71) wp.org #10 2 too high 13 Jetpack CRM – Clients, Leads, Invoices, Billing, Email Marketing, & Automation 30K+ · 4.3★ (152) wp.org #20 ↓5 7 too low 14 WP Client Reports 6K+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #5 ↑1 9 too high 15 Ultimate Client Dash 2K+ · 4.8★ (10) wp.org #9 6 too high 16 ExactMetrics – Google Analytics Dashboard for WordPress (Website Stats Plugin) 200K+ · 2.5★ (1546) wp.org #14 ↓1 2 too high 17 System Dashboard 900+ · 4.9★ (16) wp.org #16 1 too high 18 UpdraftCentral Dashboard 5K+ · 4.5★ (22) wp.org #23 ↓3 5 too low 19 KeepInMind Dashboard Notes 300+ · 5.0★ (9) wp.org #22 ↓3 3 too low 20 Beehive Analytics – Google Analytics Dashboard 20K+ · 4.5★ (13) wp.org #24 ↓3 4 too low 21 Automattic For Agencies Client 20K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #7 ↑1 14 too high 22 Video Dashboard 600+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #18 ↓1 4 too high 23 Analytify – Dashboard Widget for Google Analytics 10K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #21 ↓3 2 too high 24 Pronamic Client 600+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #13 ↑1 11 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.