wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “control plugin”
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 “control plugin”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.
Ranked above its merit
Better Plugin Compatibility Control shows at wp.org #3 but places #9 on merit, a gap of 6 places. Its 4K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.3★ average from 19 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8708)
wp.org #1 2 
Widgets for Google Reviews 1M+ · 4.9★ (2667)
wp.org #2 3 
Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1281)
wp.org #6 ↑1 3 too low 4 
Payment Plugins for Stripe WooCommerce 100K+ · 4.8★ (303)
wp.org #5 1 too low 5 
Duplicator – Backups & Migration Plugin – Cloud Backups, Scheduled Backups, & More 1M+ · 4.9★ (4940)
wp.org #7 ↓3 2 too low 6 
Business Directory Plugin – Easy Listing & Member Directories for WordPress 10K+ · 4.6★ (504)
wp.org #8 ↓2 2 too low 7 
Download Plugin 60K+ · 4.5★ (27)
wp.org #4 ↓1 3 too high 8 
All in One SEO – AI SEO Plugin to Boost SEO Rankings & Traffic (Schema, Local SEO, Sitemap & SEO Insights) 2M+ · 4.7★ (5231)
wp.org #11 ↓2 3 too low 9 Better Plugin Compatibility Control 4K+ · 4.3★ (19) thin reviews
wp.org #3 ↓1 6 too high 10 
BackWPup – WordPress Backup & Restore Plugin 400K+ · 4.0★ (1323)
wp.org #9 ↓1 1 too high 11 
Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (397)
wp.org #12 ↑1 1 too low 12 
Content Control – The Ultimate Content Restriction Solution! Restrict Content, Create Conditional Blocks & More 40K+ · 4.9★ (575)
wp.org #14 ↓2 2 too low 13 
GiveWP – Donation Plugin and Fundraising Platform 100K+ · 4.6★ (708)
wp.org #15 ↓4 2 too low 14 
Min Max Control – Min Max Quantity & Step Control for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.7★ (79)
wp.org #10 ↑4 4 too high 15 
Easy Updates Manager 300K+ · 4.8★ (726)
wp.org #21 ↓2 6 too low 16 
Speed Optimizer – The All-In-One Performance-Boosting Plugin 1M+ · 4.2★ (641)
wp.org #13 ↓3 3 too high 17 
Payment Plugins for PayPal WooCommerce 80K+ · 4.8★ (127)
wp.org #20 ↑2 3 too low 18 
Security Optimizer – The All-In-One Protection Plugin 1M+ · 4.5★ (157)
wp.org #16 ↓1 2 too high 19 
Image Source Control Lite – Show Image Credits and Captions 3K+ · 4.6★ (42)
wp.org #24 5 too low 20 
WP Plugin Manager – Deactivate plugins per page 3K+ · 4.4★ (23) thin reviews
wp.org #22 ↓2 2 too low 21 U Update Control 4K+ · 4.4★ (17) thin reviews
wp.org #19 ↓1 2 too high 22 
Mediavine Control Panel 10K+ · 4.2★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #17 ↓1 5 too high 23 
Order Status Control for WooCommerce 4K+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #18 ↓1 5 too high 24 
Menu Visibility Control 700+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #23 ↓2 1 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.