Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “debug data”

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 “debug data”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 14 of the top 20. 1 plugin is 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

BugTrace – Debug Log Tool shows at wp.org #8 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 15 places. Its 50+ 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

Popup Maker – Boost Sales, Conversions, Optins, Subscribers with the Ultimate WP Popup Builder places #9 on merit, 4.9★ from 4514 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 wp.org
1 Debug Log Manager – Conveniently Monitor and Inspect Errors 10K+ · 5.0★ (25) wp.org #1 2 Simple CAPTCHA with Cloudflare Turnstile 200K+ · 4.7★ (262) wp.org #2 3 The Events Calendar 600K+ · 4.2★ (2461) wp.org #3 4 LiteSpeed Cache 7M+ · 4.8★ (2778) wp.org #7 ↑2 3 too low 5 Advanced WordPress Reset – Debug, Recover & Reset WP 10K+ · 4.9★ (1233) wp.org #9 ↓1 4 too low 6 Advanced Cron Manager – debug & control 30K+ · 4.7★ (39) wp.org #5 1 too high 7 Simple History – Track, Log, and Audit WordPress Changes 300K+ · 4.9★ (491) wp.org #10 3 too low 8 Translate WordPress with GTranslate 900K+ · 4.9★ (4962) wp.org #13 ↑2 5 too low 9 Popup Maker – Boost Sales, Conversions, Optins, Subscribers with the Ultimate WP Popup Builder 600K+ · 4.9★ (4514) wp.org #17 ↓1 8 too low 10 Sticky Menu & Sticky Header 90K+ · 4.7★ (763) wp.org #16 ↑1 6 too low 11 Query Monitor 200K+ · 4.9★ (470) wp.org #15 ↓1 4 too low 12 Debug This 2K+ · 4.8★ (17) wp.org #6 6 too high 13 Easy WP SMTP – WordPress SMTP and Email Logs: Gmail SMTP, Office 365, Outlook, Custom SMTP, and more 500K+ · 4.6★ (709) wp.org #18 5 too low 14 WP Crontrol 300K+ · 4.4★ (167) wp.org #14 ↓1 15 Developer Debug Tools 100+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #4 11 too high 16 WP Debugging 10K+ · 5.0★ (21) wp.org #21 5 too low 17 Lead Form Data Collection to CRM 400+ · 4.0★ (46) wp.org #20 3 too low 18 My WP Customize Admin/Frontend 8K+ · 4.3★ (16) wp.org #24 6 too low 19 Yoast Test Helper 50K+ · 4.9★ (12) wp.org #22 ↑1 3 too low 20 WP Logger 300+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #19 1 too high 21 Rapid Car Check 200+ · 4.2★ (5) wp.org #23 ↓1 2 too low 22 Debug Status display 90+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #11 11 too high 23 BugTrace – Debug Log Tool 50+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #8 ↓1 15 too high 24 Developer Debug Mode 50+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #12 12 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.