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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “environment info”

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 “environment info”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 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

Environment & Debug Bar shows at wp.org #6 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 15 places. Its 30+ 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

WPCode – Insert Headers and Footers + Custom Code Snippets – WordPress Code Manager places #12 on merit, 4.9★ from 1916 reviews, but shows at wp.org #22. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Version Info – Server Health Monitor, PHP & MySQL Version Display, Environment Indicators 10K+ · 5.0★ (15) wp.org #1 2 LiteSpeed Cache 7M+ · 4.8★ (2778) wp.org #5 3 too low 3 All-in-One WP Migration and Backup 5M+ · 4.5★ (7676) wp.org #7 4 too low 4 atec Cache Info 1K+ · 5.0★ (10) wp.org #2 2 too high 5 ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2051) wp.org #9 4 too low 6 FooGallery Photo Gallery : Image, Video & Masonry Galleries 100K+ · 4.8★ (995) wp.org #10 4 too low 7 File Manager Pro – Filester 100K+ · 4.9★ (155) wp.org #13 6 too low 8 Server Info – System Health & Diagnostics Suite 3K+ · 3.8★ (12) wp.org #3 5 too high 9 File Manager 1M+ · 4.6★ (1492) wp.org #15 6 too low 10 User Switching 200K+ · 4.9★ (238) wp.org #16 6 too low 11 GTM4WP – A Google Tag Manager (GTM) plugin for WordPress 700K+ · 4.5★ (155) wp.org #12 1 too low 12 WPCode – Insert Headers and Footers + Custom Code Snippets – WordPress Code Manager 3M+ · 4.9★ (1916) wp.org #22 10 too low 13 YayMail – WooCommerce Email Customizer 50K+ · 4.8★ (291) wp.org #24 11 too low 14 B2BKing — Ultimate WooCommerce B2B and Wholesale Plugin — Wholesale Prices, Bulk Order Form & More 10K+ · 4.9★ (109) wp.org #21 7 too low 15 Display Environment Type 1K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #4 11 too high 16 Sucuri Security – Auditing, Malware Scanner and Security Hardening 600K+ · 4.2★ (386) wp.org #14 2 too high 17 Five Star Business Profile and Schema 7K+ · 4.8★ (52) wp.org #19 2 too low 18 InstaWP Connect – 1-click WP Staging & Migration 40K+ · 4.5★ (12) wp.org #17 1 too high 19 Welcart e-Commerce 10K+ · 4.5★ (6) wp.org #11 8 too high 20 Pay with Vipps and MobilePay for WooCommerce 5K+ · 4.8★ (13) wp.org #20 21 Environment & Debug Bar 30+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #6 15 too high 22 Environment Info 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #8 14 too high 23 imoje 2K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #23 24 Server Info for Debugging 200+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #18 6 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.