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← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “functions.php”

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 “functions.php”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 of the top 20. 2 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.

Ranked above its merit

WPS Child Theme Generator shows at wp.org #10 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 6K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Disable Comments places #10 on merit, 4.7★ from 281 reviews, but shows at wp.org #21. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 WPCode – Insert Headers and Footers + Custom Code Snippets – WordPress Code Manager 3M+ · 4.9★ (1915) wp.org #1 2 Header Footer Code Manager 600K+ · 4.9★ (309) wp.org #2 3 FluentSnippets – High-Performance Code Snippets, Header & Footer Code, Custom CSS & PHP Code Manager 50K+ · 4.7★ (78) wp.org #3 4 Enable Media Replace 600K+ · 4.4★ (302) wp.org #4 5 Woody Code Snippets – Insert PHP, CSS, JS, and Header/Footer Scripts 50K+ · 4.5★ (221) wp.org #6 1 too low 6 WP Crontrol 300K+ · 4.4★ (167) wp.org #7 1 too low 7 One User Avatar | User Profile Picture 100K+ · 4.7★ (41) wp.org #8 1 too low 8 Block Manager 4K+ · 4.9★ (13) wp.org #5 3 too high 9 Prevent Browser Caching 10K+ · 4.9★ (29) wp.org #14 5 too low 10 Disable Comments 1M+ · 4.7★ (281) wp.org #21 11 too low 11 Disable Comments & Delete All Comments 9K+ · 5.0★ (41) wp.org #18 7 too low 12 WP Child Theme Generator 20K+ · 4.7★ (19) wp.org #15 3 too low 13 Bootstrap Blocks 10K+ · 5.0★ (28) wp.org #24 11 too low 14 RY City Select for WooCommerce 2K+ · 4.9★ (9) wp.org #9 5 too high 15 Genesis Widget Column Classes 5K+ · 4.5★ (8) wp.org #11 4 too high 16 SMNTCS Quantity Increment Buttons for WooCommerce 2K+ · 4.5★ (20) wp.org #20 4 too low 17 C Custom Content Width 1K+ · 4.8★ (8) wp.org #12 5 too high 18 QR code MeCard/vCard generator 2K+ · 4.5★ (8) wp.org #13 5 too high 19 Genesis Connect for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.1★ (17) wp.org #19 20 CodeKit – Custom Codes Editor 7K+ · 4.8★ (16) wp.org #16 4 too high 21 WPS Child Theme Generator 6K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #10 11 too high 22 Disable Login Language Selector 1K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #17 5 too high 23 R Rel Nofollow 700+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #23 24 WP Anti-Clickjack 3K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #22 2 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.