wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “http redirect”

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 “http redirect”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 7 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.

Ranked above its merit

HTTP Requests Manager shows at wp.org #11 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 7 places. Its 1K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 8 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings places #8 on merit, 4.8★ from 7519 reviews, but shows at wp.org #15. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

WP Encryption: Easy HTTPS / SSL & Free SSL certificate, HTTPS redirect 50K+ · 4.9★ (1146) wp.org #1 2

HTTP Headers 40K+ · 4.3★ (70) wp.org #2 3

WP Force SSL & HTTPS SSL Redirect 80K+ · 4.7★ (179) wp.org #3 4

SSL Zen — SSL Certificate Installer & HTTPS Redirects 9K+ · 4.9★ (665) wp.org #5 1 too low 5

301 Redirects – Redirect Manager 300K+ · 4.7★ (578) wp.org #6 1 too low 6

Safe Redirect Manager 40K+ · 4.7★ (78) wp.org #4 2 too high 7

Redirection 100K+ · 5.0★ (419) wp.org #9 2 too low 8

Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7519) wp.org #15 7 too low 9

Easy HTTPS Redirection (SSL) 100K+ · 4.2★ (71) wp.org #7 2 too high 10

All 404 Redirect to Homepage 200K+ · 4.1★ (96) wp.org #8 2 too high 11

Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) heavy footprint wp.org #13 2 too low 12

All in One SEO – AI SEO Plugin to Boost SEO Rankings & Traffic (Schema, Local SEO, Sitemap & SEO Insights) 2M+ · 4.7★ (5231) not PHP-currentheavy footprint wp.org #14 2 too low 13

Shortcode Redirect 10K+ · 4.3★ (31) wp.org #10 3 too high 14

Simple 301 Redirects by BetterLinks – Easy Redirect Manager 100K+ · 3.8★ (162) wp.org #16 2 too low 15

Redirection 2M+ · 4.4★ (703) wp.org #20 5 too low 16 A Attachment Pages Redirect 10K+ · 4.9★ (47) wp.org #21 5 too low 17

Simple Page Redirect 10K+ · 5.0★ (8) thin reviews wp.org #12 5 too high 18

HTTP Requests Manager 1K+ · 5.0★ (8) thin reviews wp.org #11 7 too high 19

Thank You Page for WooCommerce 10K+ · 5.0★ (43) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #24 5 too low 20

JSM Force HTTP to HTTPS / SSL – No Setup, Fast and Reliable 7K+ · 5.0★ (13) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #19 1 too high 21

WP Post Redirect 3K+ · 4.6★ (5) thin reviews wp.org #17 4 too high 22

Entryway – WP Login & Logout Redirect 6K+ · 4.8★ (5) thin reviews wp.org #18 4 too high 23

Advanced 301 and 302 Redirect 1K+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews wp.org #22 1 too high 24

DevDome Redirect Manager: Link Rotator, Geo Redirect & 302 Redirect 300+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews 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.