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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “comment saver”

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 “comment saver”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 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

Bandwidth Saver: Image CDN shows at wp.org #7 but places #16 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its — installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

IP Geo Block places #11 on merit, 4.2★ from 95 reviews, but shows at wp.org #22. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 The SEO Framework – Fast, Automated, Effortless. 200K+ · 4.9★ (380) wp.org #1 2 Enable Media Replace 600K+ · 4.4★ (302) wp.org #2 ↑1 3 Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423) wp.org #3 ↓1 4 Advanced Views – Display Framework – Gutenberg/Elementor/Shortcode 2K+ · 4.8★ (36) wp.org #5 1 too low 5 WP EXtra – One Click Optimize 6K+ · 4.9★ (41) wp.org #6 1 too low 6 Assistant – Every Day Productivity Apps 4K+ · 4.9★ (15) wp.org #4 2 too high 7 Social Login 4K+ · 4.3★ (366) wp.org #11 ↓1 4 too low 8 ProfilePress – Paid Membership, Online Courses (LMS), Ecommerce, User Registration & Login Form, User Profile & Restrict Content 100K+ · 3.1★ (938) wp.org #8 9 Infinite Uploads – Offload, Optimize & Organize Your Media Library 800+ · 4.4★ (20) wp.org #10 ↓2 1 too low 10 WpStream – Live Streaming, Video on Demand, Pay Per View 3K+ · 4.8★ (78) wp.org #18 ↓2 8 too low 11 IP Geo Block 7K+ · 4.2★ (95) wp.org #22 ↓2 11 too low 12 VendBoard – Vendor Dashboard for WooCommerce — · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #12 ↓1 13 AdminEase – All-in-One Admin Toolkit: Security & Performance 60+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #9 4 too high 14 Comment Mail 100+ · 4.4★ (13) wp.org #21 ↓2 7 too low 15 Rocketship SEO 10+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #20 ↓2 5 too low 16 Bandwidth Saver: Image CDN — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #7 9 too high 17 NeuroSave – Smart Auto-Save — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #15 ↓2 2 too high 18 C Comment Saver 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #14 ↓2 4 too high 19 PageFlash – Fast Page Preloading, Performance Optimization & Secure Your WordPress Site — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #16 ↓2 3 too high 20 Tailwatch – Security, Backups, Monitoring & Management 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 ↓2 3 too high 21 seljeBackup — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #19 ↓2 2 too high 22 AJAX Loading 10+ · 3.0★ (2) wp.org #13 9 too high 23 S Scr.im Email Saver 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 ↓2 24 Bravo WP security Plugin 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #24 ↓2

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.