wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “database details”

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 “database details”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 of the top 20. 3 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

CodingBunny Database Cleaner shows at wp.org #8 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 200+ 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

WP Mail SMTP by WPForms – SMTP for Reliable Email Delivery with Gmail, Outlook, Amazon SES, Brevo, Other SMTP & More places #6 on merit, 4.8★ from 5209 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

Advanced Database Cleaner – Optimize & Clean Database to Speed Up Site Performance 100K+ · 4.9★ (1962) wp.org #1 2

Database Cleaner: Cleanup, Optimization & Repair 10K+ · 5.0★ (150) wp.org #2 3

WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance 1M+ · 4.8★ (2617) wp.org #3 4

Optimize Database after Deleting Revisions 60K+ · 4.7★ (181) wp.org #4 5

UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8706) wp.org #7 2 too low 6

WP Mail SMTP by WPForms – SMTP for Reliable Email Delivery with Gmail, Outlook, Amazon SES, Brevo, Other SMTP & More 4M+ · 4.8★ (5209) wp.org #17 11 too low 7

Database for Contact Form 7, WPforms, Elementor forms 60K+ · 4.8★ (124) wp.org #12 ↓1 5 too low 8

All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720) wp.org #16 8 too low 9

Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ · 4.7★ (1667) wp.org #18 ↑5 9 too low 10

Database for Contact Form 7 7K+ · 4.2★ (14) thin reviews wp.org #5 5 too high 11 D Database Collation Fix 1K+ · 5.0★ (21) thin reviews wp.org #9 2 too high 12

BackWPup – WordPress Backup & Restore Plugin 400K+ · 4.0★ (1323) not PHP-current wp.org #14 ↑1 2 too low 13 S SQLite Database Integration 5K+ · 4.6★ (12) thin reviews wp.org #6 7 too high 14

LiteSpeed Cache 7M+ · 4.8★ (2778) wp.org #22 ↓3 8 too low 15

Form Vibes – Save Contact Form 7 & Elementor Form Entries to Database 10K+ · 4.9★ (132) wp.org #19 ↓1 4 too low 16

GSheetConnector – CF7 Google Sheets Connector & Save CF7 Entries to Database 40K+ · 4.4★ (129) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #11 ↑1 5 too high 17

CF7 Apps – Addons for Contact Form 7 (Honeypot, Database, Redirection, Webhook, etc.) 300K+ · 3.8★ (135) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #10 ↓2 7 too high 18

Better Search Replace 1M+ · 4.3★ (546) wp.org #24 ↓2 6 too low 19

Database Manager – WP Adminer 20K+ · 5.0★ (28) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #13 6 too high 20

Extensions For CF7 (Contact form 7 Database, Conditional Fields and Redirection) 5K+ · 4.9★ (8) thin reviews wp.org #21 ↓1 1 too low 21

CodingBunny Database Cleaner 200+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews wp.org #8 ↑2 13 too high 22

atec System Info 200+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews wp.org #23 ↓2 1 too low 23

Order Details Viewer for WooCommerce 20+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews wp.org #20 3 too high 24

eHive Object Details 60+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews wp.org #15 ↓1 9 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.