wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “debug plugins”
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 plugins”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 14 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
Debug Log Viewer shows at wp.org #13 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 1K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.0★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Smash Balloon Social Photo Feed – Easy Social Feeds Plugin places #10 on merit, 4.9★ from 4358 reviews, but shows at wp.org #19. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8706)
wp.org #1 2 
Payment Plugins for PayPal WooCommerce 80K+ · 4.8★ (127) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #2 ↑4 3 
Debug Bar 20K+ · 4.1★ (69)
wp.org #3 ↓1 4 
Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1281)
wp.org #7 ↑1 3 too low 5 
Debug Log Manager – Conveniently Monitor and Inspect Errors 10K+ · 5.0★ (25)
wp.org #5 ↓1 6 
FluentSMTP – WP Mail SMTP Plugin with Amazon SES, SendGrid, Mailgun, Postmark, Cloudflare, toSend, Gmail and Any SMTP 700K+ · 4.8★ (410)
wp.org #9 3 too low 7 
Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (397)
wp.org #11 ↑2 4 too low 8 
BackWPup – WordPress Backup & Restore Plugin 400K+ · 4.0★ (1323) not PHP-current
wp.org #8 ↓1 9 
The Events Calendar 600K+ · 4.2★ (2461)
wp.org #16 7 too low 10 Smash Balloon Social Photo Feed – Easy Social Feeds Plugin 1M+ · 4.9★ (4358)
wp.org #19 ↓2 9 too low 11 
Debug 2K+ · 4.6★ (11) not PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #4 ↓1 7 too high 12 
Debug Log Manager Tool 3K+ · 5.0★ (22) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #6 ↓1 6 too high 13 
Download Plugins and Themes in ZIP from Dashboard 30K+ · 4.9★ (27)
wp.org #10 3 too high 14 
Simple CAPTCHA with Cloudflare Turnstile 200K+ · 4.7★ (262) not PHP-current
wp.org #15 1 too low 15 
WP-Members Membership Plugin 50K+ · 4.6★ (272)
wp.org #21 6 too low 16 
Advanced Cron Manager – debug & control 30K+ · 4.7★ (39)
wp.org #22 ↓1 6 too low 17 
Plugin Organizer 10K+ · 4.7★ (227) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #23 6 too low 18 
Plugins List 700+ · 5.0★ (12) thin reviews
wp.org #14 4 too high 19 
Debug This 2K+ · 4.8★ (17) thin reviews
wp.org #24 ↓2 5 too low 20 
Debug Bar Console 1K+ · 5.0★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #12 ↓1 8 too high 21 
Developer Debug Tools 100+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #18 ↑1 3 too high 22 Debug Log Viewer 1K+ · 4.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #13 ↓1 9 too high 23 
atec Debug 70+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #17 ↑1 6 too high 24 
ElasticPress Debugging Add-On 800+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #20 4 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.