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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “gzip compression”

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 “gzip compression”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.

Ranked above its merit

Cache Using Gzip shows at wp.org #4 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 14 places. Its 400+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

NitroPack – Performance, Page Speed & Cache Plugin for Core Web Vitals, CDN & Image Optimization places #11 on merit, 4.3★ from 311 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 WP Fastest Cache – WordPress Cache Plugin 1M+ · 4.9★ (4228) wp.org #1 ↑3 2 Backup Migration 80K+ · 4.9★ (1338) wp.org #2 ↓1 3 WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance 1M+ · 4.8★ (2617) wp.org #3 ↓1 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 #8 4 too low 5 WP Performance Score Booster – Optimize Speed, Enable Cache & Page Preload 10K+ · 4.6★ (339) wp.org #6 1 too low 6 Speed Optimizer – The All-In-One Performance-Boosting Plugin 1M+ · 4.2★ (641) wp.org #9 3 too low 7 Cache Enabler 100K+ · 4.3★ (139) wp.org #13 ↓1 6 too low 8 Far Future Expiry Header 6K+ · 3.2★ (31) wp.org #5 3 too high 9 Comet Cache 20K+ · 4.4★ (108) wp.org #15 ↓1 6 too low 10 WP Super Cache 1M+ · 4.3★ (1346) wp.org #18 ↑2 8 too low 11 NitroPack – Performance, Page Speed & Cache Plugin for Core Web Vitals, CDN & Image Optimization 80K+ · 4.3★ (311) wp.org #21 ↓2 10 too low 12 Leverage Browser Caching 9K+ · 4.1★ (42) wp.org #11 1 too high 13 WP Compress – Instant Performance & Speed Optimization 9K+ · 4.5★ (155) wp.org #19 ↓1 6 too low 14 LWS Optimize – All-in-One Speed Booster & Cache Tools 20K+ · 4.6★ (9) wp.org #7 7 too high 15 xSpeed Cache: AI-Powered Performance Hub with MCP, Caching & CDN 10K+ · 5.0★ (22) wp.org #14 ↑3 1 too high 16 Assets manager, dequeue scripts, dequeue styles for WordPress 2K+ · 4.3★ (53) wp.org #16 17 Powered Cache – Caching and Optimization for WordPress – Easily Improve PageSpeed & Web Vitals Score 3K+ · 4.8★ (58) wp.org #20 ↑3 3 too low 18 Cache Using Gzip 400+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #4 ↓1 14 too high 19 SpeedyCache – Cache, Optimization, Performance 500K+ · 4.4★ (30) wp.org #10 9 too high 20 DietPress 2K+ · 5.0★ (38) wp.org #24 ↓2 4 too low 21 WP Remove Query Strings From Static Resources 3K+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #12 ↑1 9 too high 22 Speed Up – Browser Caching 600+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #17 ↓2 5 too high 23 AEH Speed Optimization: Browser Cache, Optimized Minify, Lazy Loading & Image Optimization 2K+ · 3.2★ (20) wp.org #22 ↓1 1 too high 24 Static Porter 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #23 1 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.