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← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “gd library”

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 “gd library”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 of the top 20. 6 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

powerSearch for bbPress shows at wp.org #9 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 11 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

Converter for Media – Optimize images | Convert WebP & AVIF places #9 on merit, 4.9★ from 1106 reviews, but shows at wp.org #22. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 GD Rating System 1K+ · 4.3★ (24) wp.org #1 ↑1 2 Image Watermark 40K+ · 4.2★ (298) wp.org #5 ↑1 3 too low 3 EWWW Image Optimizer 1M+ · 4.8★ (1842) wp.org #7 4 too low 4 ImageMagick Engine 60K+ · 4.4★ (16) wp.org #3 ↑1 1 too high 5 GD bbPress Tools 1K+ · 3.8★ (24) wp.org #2 ↑1 3 too high 6 Media Library Tools – AI-Powered Rename, Clean & CSV Import/Export 2K+ · 4.7★ (14) wp.org #4 ↑1 2 too high 7 FooGallery Photo Gallery : Image, Video & Masonry Galleries 100K+ · 4.8★ (995) wp.org #13 ↓1 6 too low 8 W3 Total Cache 900K+ · 4.4★ (5420) wp.org #18 ↑2 10 too low 9 Converter for Media – Optimize images | Convert WebP & AVIF 500K+ · 4.9★ (1106) wp.org #22 13 too low 10 WebP Express 300K+ · 4.4★ (162) wp.org #15 ↑1 5 too low 11 forumAttachments for bbPress 6K+ · 4.3★ (26) wp.org #6 ↓5 5 too high 12 Infinite Uploads – Offload, Optimize & Organize Your Media Library 800+ · 4.4★ (20) wp.org #11 ↑2 1 too high 13 GD Mail Queue 700+ · 5.0★ (11) wp.org #10 3 too high 14 Ultimate Watermark – Image Watermark, Image Protection & Bulk Watermarking 1K+ · 3.3★ (11) wp.org #12 ↑2 2 too high 15 WPSSO Tune WP Image Editors 800+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #17 2 too low 16 topicPolls Pro for bbPress 200+ · 3.8★ (5) wp.org #8 8 too high 17 Pixellize Image Optimizer 200+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #23 6 too low 18 AVIF Uploader – Upload, Display and Fix AVIF Images 4K+ · 3.4★ (5) wp.org #20 ↑3 2 too low 19 EffortLess Simple Image Optimiser 30+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #14 ↑1 5 too high 20 powerSearch for bbPress 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #9 11 too high 21 Raina Image Compression 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #19 ↑2 2 too high 22 Double Youpï Refined Media Library – Media Folders, Collections & WebP 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #16 ↑2 6 too high 23 CodingBunny Image Optimizer 600+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #21 ↑3 2 too high 24 Select Pakistan Image Optimizer — WebP & AVIF Converter 50+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #24 ↓2

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.