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← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “db cache”

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 “db cache”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 of the top 20. 7 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.

W

Ranked above its merit

WPBase Cache shows at wp.org #3 but places #13 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 3K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Football Pool places #11 on merit, 4.9★ from 83 reviews, but shows at wp.org #23. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 WP Fastest Cache – WordPress Cache Plugin 1M+ · 4.9★ (4228) wp.org #1 2 WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance 1M+ · 4.8★ (2617) wp.org #2 3 10Web Booster – Website speed optimization, Cache & Page Speed optimizer 60K+ · 4.6★ (405) wp.org #9 ↑1 6 too low 4 Comet Cache 20K+ · 4.4★ (108) wp.org #8 ↑1 4 too low 5 WP Migrate Lite – Migration Made Easy 200K+ · 4.2★ (318) wp.org #6 1 too low 6 SlimStat Analytics – Real-Time Stats, Heatmaps & Ecommerce 70K+ · 4.8★ (816) wp.org #11 ↑9 5 too low 7 Object Cache 4 everyone 5K+ · 4.2★ (30) wp.org #4 ↑1 3 too high 8 SpeedyCache – Cache, Optimization, Performance 500K+ · 4.4★ (30) wp.org #5 ↓1 3 too high 9 Speed Optimizer – The All-In-One Performance-Boosting Plugin 1M+ · 4.2★ (641) wp.org #14 ↓3 5 too low 10 Optimize Database after Deleting Revisions 60K+ · 4.7★ (181) wp.org #19 ↑2 9 too low 11 Football Pool 900+ · 4.9★ (83) wp.org #23 12 too low 12 Index WP MySQL For Speed 50K+ · 4.8★ (99) wp.org #17 5 too low 13 W WPBase Cache 3K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #3 ↑12 10 too high 14 Easy Optimizer – PageSpeed, Cache & Core Web Vitals (Unused CSS, Delay JS, Lazy Load) 1K+ · 4.6★ (18) wp.org #15 ↓1 1 too low 15 LWS Optimize – All-in-One Speed Booster & Cache Tools 20K+ · 4.6★ (9) wp.org #13 2 too high 16 Pz-LinkCard 20K+ · 5.0★ (9) wp.org #10 ↓2 6 too high 17 Pods Alternative Cache 5K+ · 4.3★ (6) wp.org #7 10 too high 18 Cache by Folium 100+ · 4.2★ (10) wp.org #12 6 too high 19 Royal MCP – Secure AI Connector for Claude, ChatGPT & any LLM via MCP 10K+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #18 1 too high 20 简数采集器 1K+ · 4.3★ (6) wp.org #16 4 too high 21 Yasakani Cache 20+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #20 ↓1 1 too high 22 Database Access with Adminer 1K+ · 4.5★ (2) wp.org #21 ↑1 1 too high 23 ezCache 10K+ · 4.6★ (5) wp.org #22 ↑1 1 too high 24 ScanForge Database Security 70+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #24

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.