wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “dummy users”
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 “dummy users”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.
Ranked above its merit
Dummy Users Finder & Cleaner shows at wp.org #7 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 15 places. Its 20+ installs carry it up the search order; its 0.0★ average from 0 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Social Share Icons & Social Share Buttons places #9 on merit, 4.9★ from 1911 reviews, but shows at wp.org #21. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Import and export users and customers 70K+ · 4.7★ (259)
wp.org #1 2 
UsersWP – Front-end login form, User Registration, User Profile & Members Directory plugin for WP 20K+ · 4.7★ (183)
wp.org #2 3 
Redirection 100K+ · 5.0★ (419)
wp.org #4 1 too low 4 
Two Factor 100K+ · 4.7★ (209)
wp.org #5 ↓2 1 too low 5 
Anti-Spam, Spam FireWall by CleanTalk 200K+ · 4.8★ (3221)
wp.org #9 ↓1 4 too low 6 
WP Dummy Content Generator 5K+ · 4.6★ (22) thin reviews
wp.org #3 ↓1 3 too high 7 
FakerPress 10K+ · 4.9★ (205)
wp.org #10 ↓1 3 too low 8 
Perfect Brands for WooCommerce 40K+ · 4.7★ (414)
wp.org #12 4 too low 9 Social Share Icons & Social Share Buttons 10K+ · 4.9★ (1911)
wp.org #21 ↑1 12 too low 10 
Duplicate Post 300K+ · 4.9★ (1623)
wp.org #19 ↓5 9 too low 11 
No Right Click Images 20K+ · 4.7★ (52)
wp.org #11 ↓1 12 
WP2Social Auto Publish 9K+ · 4.8★ (640)
wp.org #20 8 too low 13 
Lightweight Sidebar Manager 80K+ · 4.2★ (21) thin reviews
wp.org #8 ↓1 5 too high 14 
Definitely allow mobile zooming 7K+ · 5.0★ (54)
wp.org #16 2 too low 15 
Post Duplicator 200K+ · 4.8★ (80)
wp.org #17 ↑1 2 too low 16 T Throws SPAM Away 10K+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #6 ↓1 10 too high 17 
Custom Fonts – Host Your Fonts Locally 400K+ · 4.3★ (62)
wp.org #14 ↓1 3 too high 18 
Clean Login 5K+ · 4.7★ (144)
wp.org #24 6 too low 19 
Unlist Posts & Pages 10K+ · 4.7★ (15) thin reviews
wp.org #15 4 too high 20 
Custom Adobe Fonts (Typekit) 60K+ · 4.4★ (8) thin reviews
wp.org #13 ↓2 7 too high 21 
Read Meter – Reading Time & Progress Bar 10K+ · 4.5★ (19) thin reviews
wp.org #22 ↓1 1 too low 22 Dummy Users Finder & Cleaner 20+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews
wp.org #7 ↓1 15 too high 23 
Themebeez Toolkit 8K+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #18 ↓1 5 too high 24 
Content Forge – AI & non-AI content generator, scheduled AI posts, dummy data for your site 60+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #23 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.