wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “clone entry”
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 “clone entry”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 of the top 20.
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
Clone Gravity Form Entry shows at wp.org #2 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 17 places. Its 90+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.3★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Custom Sidebars – Dynamic Sidebar Classic Widget Area Manager places #9 on merit, 4.7★ from 1028 reviews, but shows at wp.org #16. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Backuply – Backup, Restore, Migrate and Clone 600K+ · 4.5★ (135)
wp.org #1 2 
Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) 2M+ · 4.5★ (1440) heavy footprint
wp.org #3 ↑3 1 too low 3 
WPvivid — Backup, Migration & Staging 900K+ · 4.9★ (1568)
wp.org #5 ↓1 2 too low 4 
Clone 40K+ · 4.1★ (339)
wp.org #4 ↓1 5 
All-in-One WP Migration and Backup 5M+ · 4.5★ (7676)
wp.org #6 ↓1 1 too low 6 
UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8706)
wp.org #7 1 too low 7 
Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408)
wp.org #8 ↑1 1 too low 8 
Duplicate Page 3M+ · 4.8★ (466)
wp.org #9 ↓1 1 too low 9 Custom Sidebars – Dynamic Sidebar Classic Widget Area Manager 100K+ · 4.7★ (1028)
wp.org #16 ↓1 7 too low 10 
Everest Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form, Quiz, Survey & Custom Form Builder with AI 90K+ · 4.9★ (375) heavy footprint
wp.org #13 ↓1 3 too low 11 
Total Upkeep – WordPress Backup Plugin plus Restore & Migrate by BoldGrid 40K+ · 4.8★ (442) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #11 12 
Wicked Folders – Folder Organizer for Pages, Posts, and Custom Post Types 20K+ · 4.9★ (56)
wp.org #12 ↑1 13 
Simple Download Monitor 20K+ · 4.7★ (158)
wp.org #17 ↓3 4 too low 14 
1-Click WordPress Migration Plugin – Backup, Migrate & Clone 400+ · 4.5★ (40)
wp.org #10 4 too high 15 
WP Crontrol 300K+ · 4.4★ (167)
wp.org #19 4 too low 16 
Better Find and Replace – AI-Powered Suggestions 40K+ · 4.6★ (171)
wp.org #23 7 too low 17 
Backup and Staging by WP Time Capsule 10K+ · 4.0★ (128)
wp.org #18 ↓2 1 too low 18 
Advanced IP Blocker 3K+ · 4.9★ (27)
wp.org #15 ↑2 3 too high 19 Clone Gravity Form Entry 90+ · 4.3★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #2 17 too high 20 
Adminify – White Label, Admin Menu Editor, Login Customizer 6K+ · 4.3★ (109)
wp.org #24 4 too low 21 
Royal MCP – Secure AI Connector for Claude, ChatGPT & any LLM via MCP 10K+ · 5.0★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #14 ↑6 7 too high 22 
Repeater Fields for WPForms 400+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #20 ↓2 2 too high 23 
WPZOOM Forms – Drag & Drop Contact Form Builder for WordPress 10K+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #21 ↑1 2 too high 24 
Nota Backup & Restore – WordPress Backup, Migration & Clone 30+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #22 ↓1 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.