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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “de clutter”

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 “de clutter”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 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

Easy Admin Menu Manager – Hide the dashboard clutter shows at wp.org #1 but places #6 on merit, a gap of 5 places. Its 40+ 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

Payment Plugins for Stripe WooCommerce places #5 on merit, 4.8★ from 303 reviews, but shows at wp.org #12. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Brizy – Page Builder 60K+ · 4.7★ (972) wp.org #3 2 too low 2 Sugar Calendar – Events Calendar, Event Tickets, and Events Management Platform 10K+ · 4.5★ (24) wp.org #5 3 too low 3 Simple:Press Forum 300+ · 4.2★ (24) wp.org #6 3 too low 4 Post Descriptions 100+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #4 5 Payment Plugins for Stripe WooCommerce 100K+ · 4.8★ (303) wp.org #12 7 too low 6 Easy Admin Menu Manager – Hide the dashboard clutter 40+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #1 5 too high 7 Dynamic Copyright Year 800+ · 3.0★ (3) wp.org #2 5 too high 8 Mihdan: Ajax Edit Comments 300+ · 4.4★ (18) wp.org #17 9 too low 9 GutenDraw – Visualize Ideas with Excalidraw 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #7 2 too high 10 Storebird AI Chat for WooCommerce 30+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #16 6 too low 11 Newsroom OS – Google Discover, Google News, Schema & Editorial Workflow 40+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #9 ↑1 2 too high 12 Organize Drafts 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #10 ↓1 2 too high 13 Notice Vault – Hide, Manage & Organize Admin Notices 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #8 5 too high 14 inCod Visual Schema Injector for Schema.org — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #11 3 too high 15 Replai GEO – Generative Engine Optimization for AI & LLMs 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #13 2 too high 16 Secure Access Bridge — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #14 2 too high 17 EZDIGI Tool — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #15 2 too high 18 Zeus WordPress Admin 50+ · 4.2★ (6) wp.org #21 3 too low 19 M Menu Tamer 10+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #23 4 too low 20 carbon.txt, DIST Schema & CSRD Reports for WooCommerce — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #18 2 too high 21 PosLimitless Booking — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #19 2 too high 22 FlowMail Campaigns — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 2 too high 23 Amazon Product Feeder 40+ · 2.8★ (9) wp.org #22 1 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.