Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “crux”

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 “crux”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 3 of the top 18. 1 plugin is 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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.

merit plugin wp.org
1 F12 Profiler 400+ · 4.0★ (6) wp.org #2 1 too low 2 SEO Engine – Smart SEO with AI, Schema & Redirection for WordPress 1K+ · 4.9★ (48) wp.org #16 ↓1 14 too low 3 Total CrUX 20+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #1 2 too high 4 Opace Essential SEO Toolkit & SEO Audit Tool 60+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #4 ↓1 5 Crux – Direct Booking for Camps, Lodges & Retreats — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #3 2 too high 6 FetchPriority Featured Image 300+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #5 ↓1 1 too high 7 Newsroom OS – Google Discover, Google News, Schema & Editorial Workflow 40+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #6 ↓1 1 too high 8 Aftercare — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #7 ↓1 1 too high 9 Sciova — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #8 ↓1 1 too high 10 MultiAddons – Core Web Vitals & Speed Checker — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #9 ↓1 1 too high 11 fepo — Performance & GEO Audit — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #10 ↓1 1 too high 12 Khukuri Speed X-Ray — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #11 ↓1 1 too high 13 Mega Performance Monitor – Core Web Vitals & Speed Optimization — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #12 ↓1 1 too high 14 Ruxo SEO — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #13 ↓1 1 too high 15 No Slug Conflicts with Trash 10+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #18 ↓1 3 too low 16 IndiaTVDNA Performance Monitor — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #14 ↓1 2 too high 17 Mochyon Pulse 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 ↓1 18 Gallery Image Captions (GIC) 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #15 ↓1 3 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.