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

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 migration”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 of the top 20. 4 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

DreamHost Automated Migration shows at wp.org #9 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 20K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.6★ average from 5 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Ninja Tables – Easy Data Table Builder places #12 on merit, 4.6★ from 472 reviews, but shows at wp.org #21. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 All-in-One WP Migration and Backup 5M+ · 4.5★ (7676) wp.org #1 2 UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8706) wp.org #2 3 WP STAGING – Backups & Restore, Migration & Clone Plugin – Cloud Backups, Scheduled Backups 100K+ · 4.8★ (2470) wp.org #4 1 too low 4 Migrate Guru – Site Migration & Cloning 200K+ · 4.9★ (1645) wp.org #5 1 too low 5 Duplicator – Backups & Migration Plugin – Cloud Backups, Scheduled Backups, & More 1M+ · 4.9★ (4940) wp.org #3 2 too high 6 Backup Migration 80K+ · 4.9★ (1338) wp.org #6 7 Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI 10M+ · 4.8★ (27821) wp.org #15 8 too low 8 Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408) wp.org #8 9 Schema & Structured Data for WP & AMP 100K+ · 4.5★ (252) wp.org #7 2 too high 10 Data Tables Generator by Supsystic – Excel-like, WooCommerce & Pricing Tables 10K+ · 4.7★ (497) wp.org #17 7 too low 11 LitExtension – Automated Store Migration & Import 1K+ · 4.8★ (51) wp.org #11 ↑1 12 Ninja Tables – Easy Data Table Builder 70K+ · 4.6★ (472) wp.org #21 9 too low 13 Prime Mover – Backup and Migration 10K+ · 5.0★ (141) wp.org #19 ↓1 6 too low 14 BackWPup – WordPress Backup & Restore Plugin 400K+ · 4.0★ (1323) wp.org #18 ↑1 4 too low 15 WebToffee WP Backup and Migration 5K+ · 4.5★ (49) wp.org #10 5 too high 16 WP Migrate Lite – Migration Made Easy 200K+ · 4.2★ (318) wp.org #16 17 Backuply – Backup, Restore, Migrate and Clone 600K+ · 4.5★ (135) wp.org #23 6 too low 18 Pressable Automated Migration 4K+ · 5.0★ (10) wp.org #12 ↓1 6 too high 19 1-Click WordPress Migration Plugin – Backup, Migrate & Clone 400+ · 4.5★ (40) wp.org #20 1 too low 20 WP Synchro – The Ultimate WordPress Migration Tool 2K+ · 5.0★ (30) wp.org #22 2 too low 21 DreamHost Automated Migration 20K+ · 4.6★ (5) wp.org #9 12 too high 22 Pantheon Migrations 1K+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #14 8 too high 23 Tutor LMS – Migration Tool 1K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #13 10 too high 24 Demi – One Click Demo Import, Backup & Site Migration 300+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #24 ↓1

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.