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

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 optimizer”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 of the top 20. 2 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

ZS Action Scheduler Optimizer shows at wp.org #17 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 6 places. Its 300+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

WP Fastest Cache – WordPress Cache Plugin places #9 on merit, 4.9★ from 4228 reviews, but shows at wp.org #15. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 EWWW Image Optimizer 1M+ · 4.8★ (1842) wp.org #1 2 Advanced Database Cleaner – Optimize & Clean Database to Speed Up Site Performance 100K+ · 4.9★ (1962) wp.org #3 ↓1 1 too low 3 Speed Optimizer – The All-In-One Performance-Boosting Plugin 1M+ · 4.2★ (641) wp.org #2 ↑1 1 too high 4 WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance 1M+ · 4.8★ (2617) wp.org #4 5 LiteSpeed Cache 7M+ · 4.8★ (2778) wp.org #6 ↓2 1 too low 6 Optimize Database after Deleting Revisions 60K+ · 4.7★ (181) wp.org #5 1 too high 7 10Web Booster – Website speed optimization, Cache & Page Speed optimizer 60K+ · 4.6★ (405) wp.org #8 ↑1 1 too low 8 Smush – Image Optimization, Compression, Lazy Load, WebP & CDN 1M+ · 4.8★ (6053) wp.org #10 ↓1 2 too low 9 WP Fastest Cache – WordPress Cache Plugin 1M+ · 4.9★ (4228) wp.org #15 6 too low 10 ShortPixel Image Optimizer – Optimize Images, Convert WebP & AVIF 300K+ · 4.5★ (830) wp.org #14 4 too low 11 AAA Autoload Optimizer 9K+ · 4.6★ (25) wp.org #7 ↑1 4 too high 12 SmartCrawl SEO checker, analyzer & optimizer 10K+ · 4.8★ (171) wp.org #18 6 too low 13 Imagify Image Optimization: Optimize Images | Compress & Convert to WebP/AVIF 900K+ · 4.3★ (1656) wp.org #20 7 too low 14 Easy Optimizer – PageSpeed, Cache & Core Web Vitals (Unused CSS, Delay JS, Lazy Load) 1K+ · 4.6★ (18) wp.org #9 ↑1 5 too high 15 Servebolt Optimizer 1K+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #12 3 too high 16 Templ Optimizer 1K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #11 5 too high 17 PixGrow Image Optimizer 90+ · 4.0★ (4) wp.org #22 ↓1 5 too low 18 Autoload Optimizer 700+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #13 5 too high 19 CodingBunny Image Optimizer 600+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #16 3 too high 20 Admin Optimizer – Performance, Security & Site Cleanup 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #19 1 too high 21 PDEV Image Optimizer – WebP & AVIF 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #21 ↑1 22 Flux Media Optimizer – Image & Video Optimization by Flux Plugins 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #23 1 too low 23 ZS Action Scheduler Optimizer 300+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #17 6 too high 24 WP Optimizer – PageSpeed, Cache, Minify & Core Web Vitals 100+ · 3.0★ (2) 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.