wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “expirator”
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 “expirator”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 6 of the top 16. 4 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.
Schedule Post Changes With PublishPress Future: Unpublish, Delete, Change Status, Trash, Change Categories 100K+ · 4.5★ (172)
wp.org #1 2 
WP Ultimate CSV Importer – WordPress CSV, XML & Excel Import Export 20K+ · 4.4★ (593)
wp.org #4 2 too low 3 
Simple Job Board 10K+ · 4.7★ (133) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #2 1 too high 4 
WCFM Marketplace – Multivendor Marketplace for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.6★ (449) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #3 1 too high 5 
Broadcast 1K+ · 4.9★ (214) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #5 6 
NitroPack – Performance, Page Speed & Cache Plugin for Core Web Vitals, CDN & Image Optimization 90K+ · 4.3★ (311)
wp.org #9 3 too low 7 
WCFM – Frontend Manager for WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.5★ (286)
wp.org #10 3 too low 8 
WP Notes Widget 700+ · 4.6★ (12) closure risk thin reviewsstale but ranked
wp.org #8 9 A Augment Types 30+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews
wp.org #6 3 too high 10 
Acato Readable List Tables — · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews
wp.org #7 3 too high 11 
Admin Notes WP — · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviews
wp.org #11 12 F FeedWordPress Advanced Filters 100+ · 2.5★ (8) throws errorsnot PHP-currentclosure risk thin reviews
wp.org #15 3 too low 13 C Comment Expirator 10+ · 5.0★ (1) closure risk thin reviews
wp.org #14 1 too low 14 
Expire posts 100+ · 3.0★ (2) closure risk thin reviews
wp.org #13 1 too high 15 
Media Expirator 100+ · 5.0★ (1) throws errorsnot PHP-currentclosure risk thin reviews
wp.org #12 3 too high 16 P Pre Date Future Post 10+ · 5.0★ (1) throws errorsnot PHP-currentclosure risk thin reviews
wp.org #16 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.