wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “comments revision”
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 “comments revision”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 7 of the top 20. 2 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
Auto-Close Comments, Pingbacks and Trackbacks shows at wp.org #11 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 13 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
Clearfy Cache – WordPress optimization plugin, Minify HTML, CSS & JS, Defer places #11 on merit, 4.7★ from 339 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.
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #1 ↑1 2 
Code Snippets 1M+ · 4.7★ (510) not PHP-current
wp.org #2 ↓1 3 
Optimize Database after Deleting Revisions 60K+ · 4.7★ (181)
wp.org #3 4 
Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423)
wp.org #4 5 
WP-Sweep 100K+ · 4.7★ (138)
wp.org #5 6 
WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance 1M+ · 4.8★ (2617)
wp.org #7 ↓1 1 too low 7 
WP Fastest Cache – WordPress Cache Plugin 1M+ · 4.9★ (4228)
wp.org #8 ↓1 1 too low 8 
Advanced Database Cleaner – Optimize & Clean Database to Speed Up Site Performance 100K+ · 4.9★ (1962)
wp.org #12 ↓3 4 too low 9 
WPCode – Insert Headers and Footers + Custom Code Snippets – WordPress Code Manager 3M+ · 4.9★ (1915)
wp.org #10 1 too low 10 
WP Bulk Delete 90K+ · 4.6★ (131)
wp.org #9 ↓1 1 too high 11 Clearfy Cache – WordPress optimization plugin, Minify HTML, CSS & JS, Defer 40K+ · 4.7★ (339)
wp.org #22 ↓1 11 too low 12 
Loco Translate 1M+ · 4.8★ (453)
wp.org #19 ↓3 7 too low 13 
Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) 2M+ · 4.5★ (1440) heavy footprint
wp.org #18 5 too low 14 
AI 60K+ · 4.2★ (10) thin reviews
wp.org #6 8 too high 15 
Bulk Delete 30K+ · 4.3★ (129)
wp.org #21 ↓2 6 too low 16 
Breeze Cache 300K+ · 3.6★ (133)
wp.org #17 ↓3 1 too low 17 
LWS Cleaner 20K+ · 4.8★ (16) thin reviews
wp.org #15 2 too high 18 
Easy MCP AI – Connect Claude to WordPress: MCP Server for ChatGPT & AI Agents 30K+ · 4.9★ (16) thin reviews
wp.org #16 ↑1 2 too high 19 
SpeedyCache – Cache, Optimization, Performance 500K+ · 4.4★ (30) host-installed base
wp.org #14 ↓1 5 too high 20 
Royal MCP – Secure AI Connector for Claude, ChatGPT & any LLM via MCP 10K+ · 5.0★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #13 ↓1 7 too high 21 
Broken Link Checker 500K+ · 3.8★ (605) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #23 ↓3 2 too low 22 
Featherweight 10K+ · 4.1★ (45) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #20 ↓2 2 too high 23 
Disable Everything 30K+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #24 ↓1 1 too low 24 Auto-Close Comments, Pingbacks and Trackbacks 200+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #11 13 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.