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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “increase memory”

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 “increase memory”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 of the top 20. 3 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

Plugin Memory Usage shows at wp.org #1 but places #17 on merit, a gap of 16 places. Its 600+ 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

Max Mega Menu places #10 on merit, 4.8★ from 882 reviews, but shows at wp.org #17. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 EasyMedia – Increase Media Upload File Size | Role-Based Upload Limit | Increase Execution Time 70K+ · 4.9★ (99) wp.org #2 1 too low 2 W3 Total Cache 900K+ · 4.4★ (5420) wp.org #5 ↑3 3 too low 3 WooCommerce 7M+ · 4.5★ (4833) wp.org #4 1 too low 4 Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132) wp.org #6 2 too low 5 Speed Optimizer – The All-In-One Performance-Boosting Plugin 1M+ · 4.2★ (641) wp.org #7 ↓2 2 too low 6 Photo Gallery, Sliders, Proofing and Themes – NextGEN Gallery 300K+ · 4.3★ (4342) wp.org #10 4 too low 7 Modula Image Gallery – Photo Grid & Video Gallery 100K+ · 4.7★ (616) wp.org #13 ↑2 6 too low 8 All-in-One WP Migration and Backup 5M+ · 4.5★ (7676) wp.org #14 ↑4 6 too low 9 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) wp.org #11 ↑1 2 too low 10 Max Mega Menu 300K+ · 4.8★ (882) wp.org #17 ↓1 7 too low 11 Easy Digital Downloads – eCommerce Payments and Subscriptions made easy 40K+ · 4.7★ (591) wp.org #18 7 too low 12 BackWPup – WordPress Backup & Restore Plugin 400K+ · 4.0★ (1323) wp.org #12 ↑5 13 3CX Free Live Chat, Calls & Messaging 100K+ · 4.6★ (820) wp.org #23 10 too low 14 Post SMTP – Complete Email Delivery and SMTP Solution with Email Logs, Alerts, Backup SMTP & Mobile App 300K+ · 4.7★ (528) wp.org #22 ↓3 8 too low 15 All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720) wp.org #24 9 too low 16 GiveWP – Donation Plugin and Fundraising Platform 100K+ · 4.6★ (708) wp.org #16 ↓2 17 Plugin Memory Usage 600+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #1 16 too high 18 WP Server Health Stats 9K+ · 4.8★ (110) wp.org #21 ↑1 3 too low 19 MaxLimits – Increase Maximum Upload, Post & PHP Limits 2K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #3 16 too high 20 Product Bundle Builder for WooCommerce 6K+ · 4.8★ (61) wp.org #19 1 too high 21 Meta for WooCommerce 400K+ · 2.1★ (481) wp.org #9 12 too high 22 XML Feed for Skroutz & BestPrice for WooCommerce 700+ · 4.8★ (16) wp.org #20 ↑1 2 too high 23 Memory Limit Manager 600+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #8 ↓1 15 too high 24 MyServerInfo – Memory Usage, PHP Version, Memory Limit, Execution Time, CPU Usage, Disk Usage 800+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #15 ↓2 9 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.