wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “debian”
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 “debian”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 16 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
SimpleSocial shows at wp.org #14 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 7 places. Its 100+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
WPO365 | SEAMLESS WORDPRESS + MICROSOFT INTEGRATION (WPO365 | LOGIN) places #1 on merit, 4.9★ from 154 reviews, but shows at wp.org #11. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
WPO365 | SEAMLESS WORDPRESS + MICROSOFT INTEGRATION (WPO365 | LOGIN) 10K+ · 4.9★ (154)
wp.org #11 ↓2 10 too low 2 
Disable Media Pages 10K+ · 5.0★ (17) thin reviews
wp.org #7 ↓2 5 too low 3 
WPO365 | MICROSOFT 365 GRAPH MAILER 10K+ · 5.0★ (40)
wp.org #10 ↓2 7 too low 4 
WP DevOps Dashboard 10+ · 0.0★ (0) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviewslow rating, top placement
wp.org #1 3 too high 5 
WP GPX Maps 4K+ · 4.1★ (59) not PHP-current
wp.org #13 ↑1 8 too low 6 
Popular Brand Icons – Simple Icons 3K+ · 4.7★ (10) closure risk thin reviews
wp.org #12 ↓2 6 too low 7 
AVIF Local Support 10+ · 0.0★ (0) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviewslow rating, top placement
wp.org #2 5 too high 8 
Kagivault — · 0.0★ (0) thin reviewslow rating, top placement
wp.org #3 5 too high 9 
Reset file and folder permissions 200+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #9 ↓2 10 
PicEte Image Optimizer — · 0.0★ (0) thin reviewslow rating, top placement
wp.org #4 6 too high 11 C CoffeeDevs CVE Check for PHP — · 0.0★ (0) thin reviewslow rating, top placement
wp.org #5 6 too high 12 
JAT Shell Scanner — · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews
wp.org #6 6 too high 13 
Ansera Search 10+ · 5.0★ (4) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #16 ↓4 3 too low 14 
ACJ MONGODB SYNC 10+ · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviewsstale but ranked
wp.org #8 ↓2 6 too high 15 
PlugoSpeed 70+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews
wp.org #17 ↓2 2 too low 16 
Airworthy – PHP Compatibility & Upgrade Checker 200+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #15 ↓2 1 too high 17 
NexWordX — · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews
wp.org #21 4 too low 18 
Perfbase — · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews
wp.org #22 ↓4 4 too low 19 R RIICT Intranet — · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews
wp.org #23 4 too low 20 
Open24 Security 10+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #18 2 too high 21 SimpleSocial 100+ · 3.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #14 ↓3 7 too high 22 
Video Chat for Cisco and FusionPBX Callcenters — · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviews
wp.org #24 ↓5 2 too low 23 
YEGHRO Nostr Login 10+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #20 ↓3 3 too high 24 
WpBom 50+ · 0.0★ (0) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #19 ↓3 5 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.