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

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 “expiration”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 14 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

Teydea Password Reset – Force Password Reset & Expiration shows at wp.org #6 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 17 places. Its 500+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.3★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Advanced Database Cleaner – Optimize & Clean Database to Speed Up Site Performance places #7 on merit, 4.9★ from 1962 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 LiteSpeed Cache 7M+ · 4.8★ (2778) wp.org #1 2 Easy Digital Downloads – eCommerce Payments and Subscriptions made easy 40K+ · 4.7★ (591) wp.org #5 ↑2 3 too low 3 GDPR Cookie Compliance – Cookie Banner, Cookie Consent, Cookie Notice for CCPA, EU Cookie Law 300K+ · 4.6★ (205) wp.org #4 ↓1 1 too low 4 Super Page Cache – Cloudflare Cache, Page Speed & Core Web Vitals 70K+ · 4.8★ (517) wp.org #7 ↑5 3 too low 5 Advanced Ads – Ad Manager & AdSense 90K+ · 4.9★ (1463) wp.org #11 6 too low 6 Password Protected 300K+ · 4.4★ (142) wp.org #8 ↑5 2 too low 7 Advanced Database Cleaner – Optimize & Clean Database to Speed Up Site Performance 100K+ · 4.9★ (1962) wp.org #18 ↓7 11 too low 8 Masteriyo LMS – LMS Course Builder, Quizzes & Certificates 6K+ · 4.8★ (184) wp.org #10 ↓1 2 too low 9 WP Coupons and Deals – WordPress Coupon Plugin 1K+ · 4.7★ (125) wp.org #15 ↑5 6 too low 10 PW WooCommerce Gift Cards 20K+ · 4.7★ (195) wp.org #12 ↓4 2 too low 11 Advanced Queries 10K+ · 4.9★ (40) wp.org #16 ↑3 5 too low 12 Controlled Admin Access 10K+ · 4.8★ (45) wp.org #17 ↑5 5 too low 13 Uncanny Toolkit for LearnDash 20K+ · 4.8★ (105) wp.org #22 9 too low 14 Wallet for WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.7★ (188) wp.org #20 ↑3 6 too low 15 M Menu Expiration Control 70+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #3 ↑2 12 too high 16 AWP Classifieds 3K+ · 4.6★ (301) wp.org #24 8 too low 17 Teydea Login Security – Password Policy, Complexity Rules & Expiration 400+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #2 15 too high 18 Delete Expired Transients 4K+ · 5.0★ (13) wp.org #19 ↑2 1 too low 19 Coupon Creator 1K+ · 4.3★ (37) wp.org #21 2 too low 20 Automatic Expiration for Categories 10+ · 4.6★ (7) wp.org #13 ↑2 7 too high 21 Flexible Subscriptions 1K+ · 4.6★ (9) wp.org #9 ↑1 12 too high 22 Passster – Password Protect Pages and Content 10K+ · 4.2★ (60) wp.org #23 ↓7 1 too low 23 Teydea Password Reset – Force Password Reset & Expiration 500+ · 4.3★ (3) wp.org #6 17 too high 24 WP Healthcheck 1K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #14 ↑4 10 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.