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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “exif”

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 “exif”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 16 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

Exif Details shows at wp.org #3 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 18 places. Its 300+ 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

Envira Gallery – Image Photo Gallery, Albums, Video Gallery, Slideshows & More places #8 on merit, 4.7★ from 1596 reviews, but shows at wp.org #18. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance 1M+ · 4.8★ (2617) wp.org #6 ↓1 5 too low 2 Media Library Assistant 70K+ · 4.8★ (202) wp.org #7 ↑2 5 too low 3 Meow Lightbox 10K+ · 4.9★ (190) wp.org #8 ↓1 5 too low 4 Exif Caption 600+ · 4.7★ (3) wp.org #1 3 too high 5 Admin Columns 100K+ · 4.9★ (1652) wp.org #12 ↓2 7 too low 6 W WP Photo Album Plus 10K+ · 4.7★ (199) wp.org #5 ↑1 1 too high 7 Lightbox with PhotoSwipe 20K+ · 4.9★ (115) wp.org #9 ↓1 2 too low 8 Envira Gallery – Image Photo Gallery, Albums, Video Gallery, Slideshows & More 100K+ · 4.7★ (1596) wp.org #18 ↓6 10 too low 9 Robin Image Optimizer – Unlimited Image Optimization, WebP & AVIF 100K+ · 4.4★ (131) wp.org #11 2 too low 10 reSmush.it : The original free image compressor and optimizer plugin 100K+ · 4.3★ (166) wp.org #13 3 too low 11 Photo Gallery by Supsystic – Image Gallery, Masonry, Albums & Lightbox 20K+ · 4.6★ (498) wp.org #20 9 too low 12 Image Watermark 40K+ · 4.2★ (298) wp.org #16 ↓1 4 too low 13 FooGallery Photo Gallery : Image, Video & Masonry Galleries 100K+ · 4.8★ (995) wp.org #22 ↓6 9 too low 14 EXIF Remover 500+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #2 12 too high 15 Gmedia Photo Gallery 7K+ · 4.3★ (260) wp.org #19 ↓1 4 too low 16 Disable Generate Thumbnails 6K+ · 5.0★ (16) wp.org #14 2 too high 17 Bulk Datetime Change 6K+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #10 7 too high 18 Organize Media Folder 2K+ · 4.1★ (16) wp.org #15 3 too high 19 Moving Media Library 2K+ · 4.6★ (30) wp.org #23 ↓1 4 too low 20 Upload Media Exif Date 200+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #4 16 too high 21 Exif Details 300+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #3 18 too high 22 Image Quality Control | Still BE 400+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #21 ↓4 1 too high 23 EXIF Meta Manager 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #17 6 too high 24 Image Optimizer – Compress Images and Convert to WebP or AVIF 1M+ · 1.7★ (81) wp.org #24 ↓1

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.