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← Rankings

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

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 filtering”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 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

Data Source for Contact Form 7 shows at wp.org #8 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 300+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 8 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Customer Reviews for WooCommerce places #10 on merit, 4.8★ from 1539 reviews, but shows at wp.org #24. 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 2 TablePress – Tables in WordPress made easy 600K+ · 5.0★ (4625) wp.org #2 3 Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7519) wp.org #3 4 wpDataTables – WordPress Data Table, Dynamic Tables & Table Charts Plugin 60K+ · 4.5★ (449) wp.org #4 5 Ninja Tables – Easy Data Table Builder 70K+ · 4.6★ (472) wp.org #5 6 Filter Everything — WordPress & WooCommerce Filters 50K+ · 4.6★ (154) wp.org #6 7 Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408) wp.org #9 2 too low 8 WP Statistics – Simple, privacy-friendly Google Analytics alternative 500K+ · 4.1★ (758) wp.org #11 ↓2 3 too low 9 All-in-One WP Migration and Backup 5M+ · 4.5★ (7676) wp.org #17 ↓2 8 too low 10 Customer Reviews for WooCommerce 80K+ · 4.8★ (1539) wp.org #24 ↓1 14 too low 11 Burst Statistics – Simple WordPress Analytics (Google Analytics Alternative) 200K+ · 4.9★ (186) wp.org #16 ↑2 5 too low 12 PrettyLinks – Affiliate Link Management, URL Shortener, Link Cloaking, Tracking & Branded Short Links 200K+ · 4.8★ (1322) wp.org #23 ↓4 11 too low 13 Duplicator – Backups & Migration Plugin – Cloud Backups, Scheduled Backups, & More 1M+ · 4.9★ (4940) wp.org #14 ↓3 1 too low 14 Photo Gallery, Sliders, Proofing and Themes – NextGEN Gallery 300K+ · 4.3★ (4342) wp.org #20 ↓3 6 too low 15 Ninjalytics: Sales Reports & Order Export for WooCommerce and EDD 6K+ · 4.4★ (57) wp.org #12 ↓2 3 too high 16 MDTF – Meta Data and Taxonomies Filter 900+ · 4.5★ (28) wp.org #7 9 too high 17 FlexTable – Data Table Sync with Google Sheets 3K+ · 4.6★ (35) wp.org #13 ↑1 4 too high 18 Posts Table with Search & Sort 3K+ · 4.6★ (19) wp.org #10 ↑2 8 too high 19 WP Import Export Lite 40K+ · 4.0★ (113) wp.org #19 ↑2 20 Data Source for Contact Form 7 300+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #8 12 too high 21 Product Feed Manager for WooCommerce – CTX Feed – Support 220+ Shopping, AI & Social Channels 90K+ · 4.6★ (838) wp.org #22 ↓2 1 too low 22 Simple Export Import for ACF Data 1K+ · 3.4★ (16) wp.org #15 ↓2 7 too high 23 TableKit – WordPress Table Builder for Data Tables, WooCommerce Product Tables & Post Tables 3K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #21 ↑1 2 too high 24 Data Tables – present your data in clean, customizable tables 100+ · 5.0★ (2) 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.