wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “js version”
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 “js version”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 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
Manage/Remove version number from CSS & JS shows at wp.org #4 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 18 places. Its 100+ 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
Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) places #12 on merit, 5.0★ from 423 reviews, but shows at wp.org #24. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Simple Custom CSS and JS 600K+ · 4.4★ (104)
wp.org #1 2 
LiteSpeed Cache 7M+ · 4.8★ (2778)
wp.org #2 3 D Debloat – Remove Unused CSS, Optimize JS 30K+ · 4.8★ (41)
wp.org #3 ↑1 4 
WP Fastest Cache – WordPress Cache Plugin 1M+ · 4.9★ (4228)
wp.org #6 ↑1 2 too low 5 
Translate WordPress with GTranslate 900K+ · 4.9★ (4962)
wp.org #9 4 too low 6 
Super Page Cache – Cloudflare Cache, Page Speed & Core Web Vitals 70K+ · 4.8★ (517)
wp.org #10 ↑1 4 too low 7 
Autoptimize 800K+ · 4.7★ (1428)
wp.org #11 ↓1 4 too low 8 
UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8706)
wp.org #14 ↑1 6 too low 9 
JS Help Desk – AI-Powered Support & Ticketing System 7K+ · 3.7★ (74)
wp.org #5 4 too high 10 
CSS JS Manager, Async JavaScript, Defer Render Blocking CSS 1K+ · 4.8★ (90) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #7 ↓1 3 too high 11 
Fluent Forms – Customizable Contact Forms, Survey, Quiz, & Conversational Form Builder 800K+ · 4.8★ (807)
wp.org #20 ↓6 9 too low 12 Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423)
wp.org #24 ↓4 12 too low 13 
Clearfy Cache – WordPress optimization plugin, Minify HTML, CSS & JS, Defer 40K+ · 4.7★ (339)
wp.org #22 9 too low 14 
Woody Code Snippets – Insert PHP, CSS, JS, and Header/Footer Scripts 50K+ · 4.5★ (221) not PHP-current
wp.org #15 ↓2 1 too low 15 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #18 3 too low 16 
EWWW Image Optimizer 1M+ · 4.8★ (1842)
wp.org #23 7 too low 17 
JS Archive List 3K+ · 4.8★ (45)
wp.org #16 1 too high 18 
Prevent Browser Caching 10K+ · 4.9★ (29)
wp.org #19 1 too low 19 
JS Categories List Widget 1K+ · 4.8★ (15) thin reviews
wp.org #17 2 too high 20 
Easy Optimizer – PageSpeed, Cache & Core Web Vitals (Unused CSS, Delay JS, Lazy Load) 1K+ · 4.6★ (18) thin reviews
wp.org #21 1 too low 21 
Disable CSS JS Cache 400+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #8 13 too high 22 Manage/Remove version number from CSS & JS 100+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #4 ↓1 18 too high 23 C CSS JS Files 100+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #13 ↓1 10 too high 24 
Easy p5.js Block 200+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
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.