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← Rankings

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

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 “data”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 of the top 20. 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 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

Export Customers Data shows at wp.org #11 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 500+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI places #8 on merit, 4.8★ from 27821 reviews, but shows at wp.org #14. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 WP Data Access – App Builder for Tables, Forms, Dashboards, Charts & Maps 10K+ · 4.9★ (88) wp.org #1 ↑1 2 Schema & Structured Data for WP & AMP 100K+ · 4.5★ (252) wp.org #2 ↓1 3 wpDataTables – WordPress Data Table, Dynamic Tables & Table Charts Plugin 60K+ · 4.5★ (449) wp.org #5 ↑1 2 too low 4 Data Tables Generator by Supsystic – Excel-like, WooCommerce & Pricing Tables 10K+ · 4.7★ (497) wp.org #7 3 too low 5 Ninja Tables – Easy Data Table Builder 70K+ · 4.6★ (472) wp.org #8 ↓5 3 too low 6 GDPR Data Request Form 5K+ · 4.9★ (14) wp.org #3 3 too high 7 Head Meta Data 10K+ · 4.8★ (19) wp.org #4 ↑1 3 too high 8 Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI 10M+ · 4.8★ (27821) wp.org #14 ↑3 6 too low 9 WooCommerce 7M+ · 4.5★ (4833) wp.org #6 ↓2 3 too high 10 WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance 1M+ · 4.8★ (2617) wp.org #12 ↓4 2 too low 11 WP Statistics – Simple, privacy-friendly Google Analytics alternative 500K+ · 4.1★ (759) wp.org #10 1 too high 12 Database Addon for Contact Form 7 – CFDB7 600K+ · 5.0★ (1875) wp.org #16 ↓2 4 too low 13 Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) wp.org #15 ↓1 2 too low 14 Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7519) wp.org #20 ↓4 6 too low 15 Advanced Database Cleaner – Optimize & Clean Database to Speed Up Site Performance 100K+ · 4.9★ (1962) wp.org #23 ↓9 8 too low 16 LiteSpeed Cache 7M+ · 4.8★ (2778) wp.org #19 ↓10 3 too low 17 SEO Data Transporter 2K+ · 4.4★ (31) wp.org #9 ↑1 8 too high 18 The SEO Framework – Fast, Automated, Effortless. 200K+ · 4.9★ (380) wp.org #22 4 too low 19 FlexTable – Data Table Sync with Google Sheets 3K+ · 4.6★ (35) wp.org #17 2 too high 20 D Data Exchange for WooCommerce and 1C:Enterprise/1С:Предприятие 1K+ · 4.6★ (29) wp.org #24 ↓1 4 too low 21 Data Source for Contact Form 7 300+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #21 22 Export Users Data CSV 1K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #13 ↑7 9 too high 23 Export Customers Data 500+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #11 ↑1 12 too high 24 Block Data Attribute 300+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #18 ↓2 6 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.