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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “howdy”

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 “howdy”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 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.

C

Ranked above its merit

Change Howdy shows at wp.org #4 but places #16 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 60+ installs carry it up the search order; its 0.0★ average from 0 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Clearfy Cache – WordPress optimization plugin, Minify HTML, CSS & JS, Defer places #2 on merit, 4.7★ from 339 reviews, but shows at wp.org #12. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Ultimate Dashboard – Custom WordPress Dashboard 50K+ · 4.6★ (114) wp.org #3 ↑1 2 too low 2 Clearfy Cache – WordPress optimization plugin, Minify HTML, CSS & JS, Defer 40K+ · 4.7★ (339) wp.org #12 10 too low 3 AGCA – Custom Dashboard & Login Page 20K+ · 4.5★ (64) wp.org #13 ↓2 10 too low 4 Disable Everything 30K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #5 1 too low 5 Adminify – White Label, Admin Menu Editor, Login Customizer 6K+ · 4.3★ (109) wp.org #14 ↓1 9 too low 6 Ultimate Client Dash 2K+ · 4.8★ (10) wp.org #6 7 Nexter Extension – Security, Performance, Code Snippets & Site Toolkit 10K+ · 4.7★ (13) wp.org #10 3 too low 8 NextGenThemes jsDelivr CDN 300+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #8 ↑1 9 IgnitionDeck Crowdfunding Platform 100+ · 3.7★ (90) wp.org #18 ↓1 9 too low 10 Slash Admin 500+ · 5.0★ (9) wp.org #11 1 too low 11 MC Good-bye Howdy 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #1 10 too high 12 W WP Easy Replace Howdy 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #2 10 too high 13 No Nonsense 1K+ · 4.5★ (6) wp.org #7 6 too high 14 Admin Toolbar Menus 900+ · 5.0★ (20) wp.org #21 ↓2 7 too low 15 WP Hide Show Featured Image 3K+ · 4.7★ (3) wp.org #9 ↓1 6 too high 16 C Change Howdy 60+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #4 ↓1 12 too high 17 Text Replace – Find and Replace WordPress Strings 300+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #17 ↓3 18 UltimaKit – Admin Enhancements, Security, Optimization & Site Tweaks 20+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #20 ↑1 2 too low 19 Howdy World — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #16 3 too high 20 S Site Cleanup Controls 40+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #19 ↓1 1 too high 21 Quiet Admin – Hide Admin Notices, Disable Comments, Clean Dashboard & More 30+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #15 6 too high 22 Unstoppable White Label 30+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 ↓2 23 Remove Profile Dropdown in Admin Bar 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 ↓1 24 Arik Admin Screen Customizer — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #24 ↓1

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.