Plugin Pulse
← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “filesize limit”

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 “filesize limit”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 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

Display Server Info shows at wp.org #10 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 100+ 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

reSmush.it : The original free image compressor and optimizer plugin places #10 on merit, 4.3★ from 165 reviews, but shows at wp.org #24. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 ShortPixel Image Optimizer – Optimize Images, Convert WebP & AVIF 300K+ · 4.5★ (819) wp.org #1 2 Open User Map – Interactive Leaflet Maps 10K+ · 5.0★ (68) wp.org #2 3 Disk Usage Sunburst 9K+ · 4.8★ (36) wp.org #3 4 Advanced Media Offloader – Offload Media to Amazon S3, Cloudflare R2, DigitalOcean Spaces & More 7K+ · 4.7★ (46) wp.org #4 5 A Attachments 8K+ · 4.8★ (53) wp.org #6 1 too low 6 AWP Classifieds 3K+ · 4.6★ (301) wp.org #7 1 too low 7 Image Optimizer, Resizer and CDN – Sirv 1K+ · 4.9★ (265) wp.org #11 4 too low 8 Smush – Image Optimization, Compression, Lazy Load, WebP & CDN 1M+ · 4.8★ (6052) wp.org #21 ↓1 13 too low 9 TinyPNG – JPEG, PNG & WebP image compression 100K+ · 4.5★ (177) wp.org #9 10 reSmush.it : The original free image compressor and optimizer plugin 100K+ · 4.3★ (165) wp.org #24 ↓3 14 too low 11 YayReviews – Advanced Customer Reviews for WooCommerce 100+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #5 6 too high 12 Download List Block with Icons 400+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #8 4 too high 13 Speed Optimizer – The All-In-One Performance-Boosting Plugin 1M+ · 4.2★ (640) wp.org #23 ↓1 10 too low 14 Squeeze – Image Optimization & Compression, WEBP Conversion 3K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #15 1 too low 15 KolorWeb Log Manager: cleaver debugging management 50+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #14 1 too high 16 DBStorage Insights 20+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #13 3 too high 17 Mediaspy – Detect & Clean Unused Media 40+ · 3.7★ (3) wp.org #12 5 too high 18 Presswell Art Direction 90+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #17 1 too high 19 Display Server Info 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #10 9 too high 20 Datafeedr Product Sets 5K+ · 4.3★ (4) wp.org #22 ↓3 2 too low 21 Dev Limits – Server Limits Manager — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #18 3 too high 22 AWEOS PHP Server Info 1K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #16 6 too high 23 Import Export by RockStarLab 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #19 ↑5 4 too high 24 Sigma ImportX Engine — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #20 ↓2 4 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.