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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “edit howdy”

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 “edit howdy”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 of the top 20. 5 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

Comfortable Admin Page shows at wp.org #11 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 70+ 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

Clearfy Cache – WordPress optimization plugin, Minify HTML, CSS & JS, Defer places #3 on merit, 4.7★ from 339 reviews, but shows at wp.org #7. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Ultimate Dashboard – Custom WordPress Dashboard 50K+ · 4.6★ (114) wp.org #1 2 Adminify – White Label, Admin Menu Editor, Login Customizer 6K+ · 4.3★ (109) wp.org #2 ↑1 3 Clearfy Cache – WordPress optimization plugin, Minify HTML, CSS & JS, Defer 40K+ · 4.7★ (339) wp.org #7 4 too low 4 AGCA – Custom Dashboard & Login Page 20K+ · 4.5★ (64) wp.org #5 ↓1 1 too low 5 Nexter Extension – Security, Performance, Code Snippets & Site Toolkit 10K+ · 4.7★ (13) wp.org #4 ↑1 1 too high 6 No Nonsense 1K+ · 4.5★ (6) wp.org #3 ↓1 3 too high 7 IgnitionDeck Crowdfunding Platform 100+ · 3.7★ (90) wp.org #10 3 too low 8 Slash Admin 500+ · 5.0★ (9) wp.org #6 2 too high 9 Admin Bar Editor – Toolbar Customization with User Role based access & Custom menus 3K+ · 4.4★ (24) wp.org #9 ↓1 10 Text Replace – Find and Replace WordPress Strings 300+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #8 ↑1 2 too high 11 UltimaKit – Admin Enhancements, Security, Optimization & Site Tweaks 20+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #12 ↓1 1 too low 12 H Howdy Tweaks 50+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #16 4 too low 13 T TM Replace Howdy 200+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #18 5 too low 14 StickyAdmin — · 3.6★ (9) wp.org #22 8 too low 15 Feature Flipper 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #13 2 too high 16 TweakMaster — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #14 2 too high 17 Edminboost – Admin white label, Menu Editor, theme, topbar shortcuts — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #15 2 too high 18 B Blog ID in Site Admin Menu 10+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #23 5 too low 19 Comfortable Admin Page 70+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #11 ↑1 8 too high 20 MM Dashboard Customizer 90+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 21 Admin Bar Menu Packer 70+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #17 4 too high 22 WP Custom Admin Dashboard 30+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #19 3 too high 23 E Edit Howdy 100+ · 3.0★ (3) wp.org #21 2 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.