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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “impact analysis”

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 “impact analysis”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 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

ContentPen shows at wp.org #8 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 14 places. Its 300+ 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

Independent Analytics – WordPress Analytics Plugin places #11 on merit, 4.8★ from 167 reviews, but shows at wp.org #20. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7519) wp.org #1 2 All in One SEO – AI SEO Plugin to Boost SEO Rankings & Traffic (Schema, Local SEO, Sitemap & SEO Insights) 2M+ · 4.7★ (5231) wp.org #2 3 Database Cleaner: Cleanup, Optimization & Repair 10K+ · 5.0★ (150) wp.org #6 3 too low 4 FastPixel Cache – Optimize Page Speed: Compress Images, Minify, Clean Database & CDN 4K+ · 4.8★ (50) wp.org #5 1 too low 5 MonsterInsights – Google Analytics Dashboard for WordPress (Website Stats Made Easy) 2M+ · 4.5★ (3157) wp.org #7 2 too low 6 Log Emails 6K+ · 5.0★ (11) wp.org #4 2 too high 7 hCaptcha for WP 70K+ · 4.6★ (88) wp.org #9 2 too low 8 Visualizer – Tables & Charts Manager with Built-in AI Generator 20K+ · 4.4★ (225) wp.org #10 2 too low 9 F12 Profiler 400+ · 4.0★ (6) wp.org #3 6 too high 10 Link Whisper Free 30K+ · 4.2★ (151) wp.org #13 3 too low 11 Independent Analytics – WordPress Analytics Plugin 100K+ · 4.8★ (167) wp.org #20 9 too low 12 oopspam Anti-Spam: Spam Protection for WordPress Forms & Comments (No CAPTCHA) 6K+ · 4.9★ (51) wp.org #14 2 too low 13 Bulk Auto Image Alt Text (Alt tag, Alt attribute) optimizer (image SEO) 10K+ · 4.2★ (111) wp.org #16 3 too low 14 Charitable – Donation & Fundraising Platform (Donation Forms, Recurring Donations & Fundraising Campaigns) 10K+ · 4.9★ (219) wp.org #23 9 too low 15 SureRank SEO – Meta Tags, Social Preview, XML Sitemap, Schema & Open Graph 300K+ · 4.8★ (51) wp.org #24 9 too low 16 LexonRank: AI Link Building, Free Backlinks, GEO & SEO Automation 800+ · 4.1★ (31) wp.org #18 2 too low 17 Beehive Analytics – Google Analytics Dashboard 20K+ · 4.5★ (13) wp.org #17 18 Search Insights – Privacy-Friendly Search Analytics 3K+ · 4.9★ (29) wp.org #19 1 too low 19 UTM Event Tracker and Analytics, UTM Grabber 800+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #21 2 too low 20 Topic SEO Content Optimization Tool 1K+ · 4.0★ (4) wp.org #15 5 too high 21 Enhanced Ecommerce Google Analytics for WooCommerce 1K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #22 1 too low 22 ContentPen 300+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #8 14 too high 23 Depenova Impact Map – Dependency & Impact Analysis — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #11 12 too high 24 AI Agent by SiteGround 1M+ · 1.7★ (98) wp.org #12 12 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.