wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “jpeg”
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 “jpeg”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 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
JPEG PNG Compressor shows at wp.org #3 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 16 places. Its 50+ 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
EWWW Image Optimizer places #10 on merit, 4.8★ from 1842 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.
WP Fastest Cache – WordPress Cache Plugin 1M+ · 4.9★ (4228)
wp.org #2 1 too low 2 
TinyPNG Image Optimization – Image Compression JPEG & PNG | Convert to WebP & AVIF 100K+ · 4.5★ (181) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #1 1 too high 3 
Image Watermark 40K+ · 4.2★ (298)
wp.org #4 ↑4 1 too low 4 
Imagify Image Optimization: Optimize Images | Compress & Convert to WebP/AVIF 900K+ · 4.3★ (1656)
wp.org #5 ↓1 1 too low 5 
ShortPixel Image Optimizer – Optimize Images, Convert WebP & AVIF 300K+ · 4.5★ (830)
wp.org #8 ↓2 3 too low 6 
Resize Image After Upload 80K+ · 4.8★ (56)
wp.org #6 ↓1 7 
WebP Express 300K+ · 4.4★ (162)
wp.org #7 ↑3 8 
WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance 1M+ · 4.8★ (2617)
wp.org #11 3 too low 9 
Converter for Media – Optimize images | Convert WebP & AVIF 500K+ · 4.9★ (1106)
wp.org #12 ↓5 3 too low 10 EWWW Image Optimizer 1M+ · 4.8★ (1842)
wp.org #15 ↓2 5 too low 11 
PhastPress 10K+ · 4.9★ (99)
wp.org #13 ↑1 2 too low 12 
Kraken.io Image Optimizer – Compress, Convert to WebP & AVIF, Resize & Bulk Optimize 10K+ · 4.5★ (119)
wp.org #17 ↑1 5 too low 13 
Perfect Images: Regenerate Thumbnails, Image Sizes, WebP & AVIF 60K+ · 4.8★ (279)
wp.org #23 10 too low 14 
10Web Booster – Website speed optimization, Cache & Page Speed optimizer 60K+ · 4.6★ (405)
wp.org #24 10 too low 15 
Optimus – WordPress Image Optimizer 30K+ · 4.2★ (69)
wp.org #16 1 too low 16 
Modern Image Formats 100K+ · 3.6★ (26)
wp.org #9 7 too high 17 
Clean Image Filenames 30K+ · 4.6★ (21) thin reviews
wp.org #18 ↓1 1 too low 18 
Leverage Browser Caching 9K+ · 4.1★ (42)
wp.org #20 ↓1 2 too low 19 JPEG PNG Compressor 50+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #3 16 too high 20 
CryptX 10K+ · 4.5★ (20) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #21 1 too low 21 
Squeeze – Browser-Based Image Compression & WebP Converter (No API, No Limits) 3K+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #19 ↑1 2 too high 22 
Panorama – Turn Photos into Immersive Virtual Tours 2K+ · 4.3★ (9) thin reviews
wp.org #22 23 
Image Converter for WebP 1K+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #14 ↑1 9 too high 24 
Image Optimizer – Compress Images and Convert to WebP or AVIF 1M+ · 1.7★ (81) host-installed base
wp.org #10 ↑2 14 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.