wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “gtmetrix optimization”
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 “gtmetrix optimization”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 of the top 20. 3 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
WP Remove Query Strings From Static Resources shows at wp.org #19 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 5 places. Its 3K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 5 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Imagify Image Optimization: Optimize Images | Compress & Convert to WebP/AVIF 900K+ · 4.3★ (1656)
wp.org #1 2 
WP Fastest Cache – WordPress Cache Plugin 1M+ · 4.9★ (4228)
wp.org #2 3 
Super Page Cache – Cloudflare Cache, Page Speed & Core Web Vitals 70K+ · 4.8★ (517)
wp.org #3 4 
Hummingbird Performance – Cache & Page Speed Optimization for Core Web Vitals | Critical CSS | Minify CSS | Defer CSS Javascript | CDN 70K+ · 4.7★ (1488)
wp.org #4 5 
W3 Total Cache 900K+ · 4.4★ (5420)
wp.org #5 6 
Clearfy Cache – WordPress optimization plugin, Minify HTML, CSS & JS, Defer 40K+ · 4.7★ (339)
wp.org #8 2 too low 7 
NitroPack – Performance, Page Speed & Cache Plugin for Core Web Vitals, CDN & Image Optimization 80K+ · 4.3★ (311)
wp.org #7 ↓1 8 
ShortPixel Image Optimizer – Optimize Images, Convert WebP & AVIF 300K+ · 4.5★ (830)
wp.org #10 ↓1 2 too low 9 
Fast Velocity Minify 30K+ · 4.6★ (195)
wp.org #9 ↑3 10 
WPSpeed – WordPress Speed, Cache & Performance Optimization (Core Web Vitals, PageSpeed 100) 2K+ · 4.9★ (40)
wp.org #6 ↑1 4 too high 11 
PhastPress 10K+ · 4.9★ (99)
wp.org #14 3 too low 12 
Speed Booster Pack ⚡ PageSpeed Optimization Suite 8K+ · 4.3★ (186)
wp.org #13 1 too low 13 
Jetpack Boost – Website Speed, Performance and Critical CSS 200K+ · 4.7★ (612)
wp.org #21 8 too low 14 
ShortPixel Adaptive Images – WebP, AVIF, CDN, Image Optimization 10K+ · 4.8★ (145) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #11 ↓1 3 too high 15 
Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (397)
wp.org #23 8 too low 16 
BerqWP – All-In-One Optimization for Core Web Vitals, Cache, CDN, Images, CSS & JavaScript 4K+ · 4.3★ (54)
wp.org #12 ↓1 4 too high 17 
CAOS | Host Google Analytics Locally 10K+ · 4.9★ (128) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #16 ↓1 1 too high 18 
Freesoul Deactivate Plugins – Disable plugins on individual WordPress pages 8K+ · 4.8★ (104)
wp.org #24 6 too low 19 
xSpeed Cache: AI-Powered Performance Hub with MCP, Caching & CDN 10K+ · 5.0★ (22) thin reviews
wp.org #15 ↑4 4 too high 20 
FastPixel Cache – Optimize Page Speed: Compress Images, Minify, Clean Database & CDN 4K+ · 4.8★ (50) not PHP-current
wp.org #18 ↓1 2 too high 21 
Leverage Browser Caching 9K+ · 4.1★ (42)
wp.org #17 ↓1 4 too high 22 
JCH Optimize 4K+ · 4.4★ (69) not PHP-current
wp.org #22 23 
Gumlet – Image optimization with Resize, Compression, Lazy load, Caching & CDN delivery 400+ · 4.4★ (10) thin reviews
wp.org #20 3 too high 24 WP Remove Query Strings From Static Resources 3K+ · 5.0★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #19 ↓1 5 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.