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

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 uri”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 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

Mox Icons – Icon Pack for Elementor shows at wp.org #10 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 14 places. Its 1K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Headers Security Advanced & HSTS WP places #11 on merit, 4.9★ from 79 reviews, but shows at wp.org #17. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

Schema & Structured Data for WP & AMP 100K+ · 4.5★ (252) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #1 2

LiteSpeed Cache 7M+ · 4.8★ (2778) wp.org #2 3

Super Page Cache – Cloudflare Cache, Page Speed & Core Web Vitals 70K+ · 4.8★ (517) wp.org #5 2 too low 4

BackWPup – WordPress Backup & Restore Plugin 400K+ · 4.0★ (1323) not PHP-current wp.org #4 5

AMP for WP – Accelerated Mobile Pages 70K+ · 4.4★ (1319) heavy footprint wp.org #7 2 too low 6

W3 Total Cache 900K+ · 4.4★ (5420) wp.org #8 2 too low 7

Check & Log Email – Easy Email Testing & Mail logging 90K+ · 4.8★ (292) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #6 1 too high 8

BBQ Firewall – Fast & Powerful Firewall Security 100K+ · 4.9★ (160) wp.org #11 ↓1 3 too low 9 R Really Simple CSV Importer 40K+ · 4.9★ (107) wp.org #12 ↓1 3 too low 10

Imagify Image Optimization: Optimize Images | Compress & Convert to WebP/AVIF 900K+ · 4.3★ (1656) wp.org #15 ↓3 5 too low 11

Headers Security Advanced & HSTS WP 90K+ · 4.9★ (79) wp.org #17 ↓2 6 too low 12

WP Datepicker 6K+ · 4.8★ (37) wp.org #13 1 too low 13

Multiple Domain Mapping on Single Site 6K+ · 4.6★ (48) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #9 4 too high 14

Export Customers Data 500+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews wp.org #3 11 too high 15

Username Changer 40K+ · 4.3★ (77) wp.org #22 ↓3 7 too low 16

PDF & Print by BestWebSoft – WordPress Posts and Pages PDF Generator Plugin 9K+ · 3.9★ (102) wp.org #19 ↓3 3 too low 17

Advanced IP Blocker 3K+ · 4.9★ (27) wp.org #18 ↑5 1 too low 18

WP OAuth Server ( Login with WordPress ) 1K+ · 4.9★ (41) wp.org #23 ↓2 5 too low 19

Zoho Mail for WordPress 20K+ · 3.7★ (42) wp.org #20 ↓3 1 too low 20

WP Docs 1K+ · 4.8★ (18) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #16 ↓2 4 too high 21

Easy Google Adsense and Banner Ads Manager – AdsforWP 1K+ · 4.6★ (43) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #21 ↓3 22

WP User Merger 300+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews wp.org #24 2 too low 23 W WPFrank Companion 1K+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews wp.org #14 ↓1 9 too high 24

Mox Icons – Icon Pack for Elementor 1K+ · 5.0★ (2) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #10 ↓1 14 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.