wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “delete all”

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 “delete all”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 6 of the top 20.

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

Bulk Delete Comments shows at wp.org #9 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 5K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.8★ average from 13 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Duplicate Post places #7 on merit, 4.9★ from 1623 reviews, but shows at wp.org #14. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

All-in-One WP Migration and Backup 5M+ · 4.5★ (7676) wp.org #1 ↑1 2

All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720) wp.org #2 ↓1 3

Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5038) heavy footprint wp.org #3 4

WP All Import – Drag & Drop Import for CSV, XML, Excel & Google Sheets 100K+ · 4.7★ (1966) wp.org #10 ↑1 6 too low 5

WP Bulk Delete 90K+ · 4.6★ (131) wp.org #6 ↑2 1 too low 6

WP Comment Cleaner – Delete All Comments, Disable Comments, Bulk Delete & Remove Comments 20K+ · 4.7★ (58) wp.org #5 1 too high 7

Duplicate Post 300K+ · 4.9★ (1623) wp.org #14 ↓4 7 too low 8

Bulk Delete 30K+ · 4.3★ (129) wp.org #8 ↓1 9

Disable Comments & Delete All Comments 9K+ · 5.0★ (41) wp.org #7 ↓1 2 too high 10

Delete Duplicate Posts 10K+ · 4.8★ (153) wp.org #11 ↑1 1 too low 11

Delete All Products for WooCommerce 4K+ · 5.0★ (7) thin reviews wp.org #4 7 too high 12

Export All URLs 50K+ · 4.6★ (94) wp.org #13 ↑1 1 too low 13

Security Optimizer – The All-In-One Protection Plugin 1M+ · 4.5★ (157) wp.org #12 ↑5 1 too high 14

Media Cleaner: Delete Unused Images & Clean Your Media Library 90K+ · 4.6★ (779) wp.org #23 9 too low 15

Speed Optimizer – The All-In-One Performance-Boosting Plugin 1M+ · 4.2★ (641) wp.org #15 16

Simple Revisions Delete 10K+ · 4.9★ (50) wp.org #16 ↓3 17

Invisible Anti-Spam & CAPTCHA — reCAPTCHA Alternative for All Forms 4K+ · 4.8★ (50) wp.org #20 ↓1 3 too low 18

DX Delete Attached Media 3K+ · 4.9★ (28) wp.org #18 19

Bulk Delete Comments 5K+ · 3.8★ (13) thin reviews wp.org #9 10 too high 20

WP Frontend Delete Account 4K+ · 4.6★ (27) wp.org #19 ↓1 1 too high 21

Delete Expired Transients 4K+ · 5.0★ (13) thin reviews wp.org #17 ↓1 4 too high 22

Auto Delete Post – Ultimate plugin for deleting a post automatically 300+ · 5.0★ (7) thin reviews wp.org #22 ↓2 23

Delete Unscaled Images 900+ · 5.0★ (5) thin reviews wp.org #21 ↑1 2 too high 24

WP All Import – Import SEO Settings for All In One SEO 1K+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews 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.