wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “jquery manager”
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 “jquery manager”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 6 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
Lightweight Sidebar Manager shows at wp.org #10 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 80K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.2★ average from 21 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
WCFM – Frontend Manager for WooCommerce places #11 on merit, 4.5★ from 286 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.
Events Manager – Calendar, Bookings, Tickets, Appointments and more! 60K+ · 4.2★ (551) not PHP-current
wp.org #1 2 
File Manager 1M+ · 4.6★ (1492)
wp.org #2 ↑1 3 
Advanced File Manager – Ultimate File Manager for WordPress And Document Library Solution 100K+ · 4.8★ (441)
wp.org #3 ↓1 4 
Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ · 4.7★ (1667)
wp.org #4 ↑1 5 
Ad Inserter – Ad Manager & AdSense Ads 300K+ · 4.9★ (2433)
wp.org #7 ↑7 2 too low 6 
Checkout Field Manager (Checkout Manager) for WooCommerce 80K+ · 4.5★ (784)
wp.org #6 7 
WP Event Manager – Events Calendar, Registrations, Sell Tickets with WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.0★ (249)
wp.org #5 2 too high 8 
Easy Updates Manager 300K+ · 4.8★ (726)
wp.org #8 9 
My Calendar – Accessible Event Manager 20K+ · 4.7★ (159)
wp.org #9 ↓3 10 
File Manager Pro – Filester 100K+ · 4.9★ (155)
wp.org #13 ↑5 3 too low 11 WCFM – Frontend Manager for WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.5★ (286)
wp.org #17 6 too low 12 
Meta Tag Manager 70K+ · 4.8★ (84) not PHP-current
wp.org #11 ↓2 1 too high 13 
Flexible Checkout Fields for WooCommerce – WooCommerce Checkout Manager 80K+ · 4.7★ (296)
wp.org #19 6 too low 14 
User Access Manager 10K+ · 4.4★ (112)
wp.org #15 ↓2 1 too low 15 
Stock Manager for WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.2★ (130) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #12 ↓1 3 too high 16 
Affiliates Manager 8K+ · 4.1★ (61)
wp.org #14 ↓2 2 too high 17 
Debug Log Manager – Conveniently Monitor and Inspect Errors 10K+ · 5.0★ (25)
wp.org #16 1 too high 18 Lightweight Sidebar Manager 80K+ · 4.2★ (21) thin reviews
wp.org #10 8 too high 19 
Infinity23 (Formerly Tag Manager) – One Plugin That Replaces All The Rest 20K+ · 4.7★ (53)
wp.org #21 ↓1 2 too low 20 
Event Booking Manager for WooCommerce – Sell Tickets, Event Registration, RSVP & Event Calendar 7K+ · 4.5★ (167) throws errorsnot PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #20 ↓5 21 B BSK PDF Manager 7K+ · 4.5★ (46) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #18 3 too high 22 
Digital License Manager 800+ · 4.7★ (30) not PHP-current
wp.org #22 23 
Job Manager & Career – Manage job board listings, and recruitments 1K+ · 4.7★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #23 ↓2 24 
Booking Manager – Sync WP Booking Calendar – Import Events, Export Bookings to ICS Calendar 5K+ · 4.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #24 ↓2 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.