wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “inactive plugins”
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 “inactive plugins”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 of the top 20. 2 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
CartFlush – Auto Clear WooCommerce Cart for Inactive Users shows at wp.org #8 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 15 places. Its 60+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.3★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Inactive Logout 10K+ · 4.8★ (106)
wp.org #1 2 
WP Fastest Cache – WordPress Cache Plugin 1M+ · 4.9★ (4228)
wp.org #3 ↑1 1 too low 3 
WP Rollback – Rollback Plugins and Themes 200K+ · 4.9★ (215)
wp.org #4 ↓1 1 too low 4 
Plugins List 700+ · 5.0★ (12) thin reviews
wp.org #2 2 too high 5 
Code Snippets 1M+ · 4.7★ (510) not PHP-current
wp.org #5 6 
CartFlows – Funnel Builder & Checkout Plugin for WooCommerce 200K+ · 4.8★ (517) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #6 ↑1 7 
SupportCandy – AI Customer Support Ticket System & Live Chatbot Agent 10K+ · 4.9★ (289)
wp.org #10 ↑4 3 too low 8 
Prime Mover – Backup and Migration 10K+ · 5.0★ (141)
wp.org #11 ↑1 3 too low 9 
Carousel Slider Block for Gutenberg 50K+ · 4.8★ (59)
wp.org #9 ↑2 10 
Team Members – Multi Language Supported Team Plugin 6K+ · 5.0★ (85)
wp.org #12 ↑3 2 too low 11 
Product Feed Manager for WooCommerce – CTX Feed – Support 220+ Shopping, AI & Social Channels 90K+ · 4.6★ (838) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #13 2 too low 12 
ThinkRank SEO – AI SEO Plugin for SEO & Google Search Console 20K+ · 4.9★ (36) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #7 ↑2 5 too high 13 
Newsletter – Send awesome emails from WordPress 200K+ · 4.6★ (1205) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #15 2 too low 14 
Disable Comments 1M+ · 4.7★ (281)
wp.org #16 2 too low 15 
AutomatorWP – No-Code Workflow Automation, Integration & Webhooks Plugin, now with AI 6K+ · 4.8★ (202) heavy footprint
wp.org #18 3 too low 16 
Widget Importer & Exporter 200K+ · 4.7★ (117)
wp.org #19 3 too low 17 
Vigilant – 100% Free Security Suite: Firewall, 2FA, Login, Headers, Scanner… 3K+ · 5.0★ (24) thin reviews
wp.org #24 7 too low 18 
Auto Delete Post – Ultimate plugin for deleting a post automatically 300+ · 5.0★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #14 ↑2 4 too high 19 
Membership Plugin – Kadence Memberships 8K+ · 3.1★ (100) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #17 2 too high 20 
WP Last Login 10K+ · 3.8★ (26)
wp.org #22 2 too low 21 
Enhanced Plugin Admin 100+ · 5.0★ (8) thin reviews
wp.org #21 22 
Insert Headers and Footers Code – HT Script 7K+ · 5.0★ (8) thin reviews
wp.org #23 1 too low 23 CartFlush – Auto Clear WooCommerce Cart for Inactive Users 60+ · 4.3★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #8 15 too high 24 
Archivum Inactive Archiver 10+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #20 4 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.