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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “json export”

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 “json export”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 15 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

Blocks Export Import – Backup & Move Gutenberg Blocks as JSON shows at wp.org #5 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 15 places. Its 1K+ 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

Customer Reviews for WooCommerce places #8 on merit, 4.8★ from 1539 reviews, but shows at wp.org #22. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Advanced Order Export For WooCommerce 100K+ · 5.0★ (350) wp.org #1 2 Export All URLs 50K+ · 4.6★ (94) wp.org #2 3 TablePress – Tables in WordPress made easy 600K+ · 5.0★ (4625) wp.org #7 4 too low 4 Export Media URLs 7K+ · 5.0★ (29) wp.org #3 1 too high 5 WP Import Export Lite 40K+ · 4.0★ (113) wp.org #4 1 too high 6 Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1281) wp.org #17 ↓5 11 too low 7 Redirection 2M+ · 4.4★ (703) wp.org #11 ↓2 4 too low 8 Customer Reviews for WooCommerce 80K+ · 4.8★ (1539) wp.org #22 ↓2 14 too low 9 Simple History – Track, Log, and Audit WordPress Changes 300K+ · 4.9★ (491) wp.org #19 ↓1 10 too low 10 The Events Calendar 600K+ · 4.2★ (2461) wp.org #21 ↑1 11 too low 11 LiteSpeed Cache 7M+ · 4.8★ (2778) wp.org #23 ↑1 12 too low 12 Easy Updates Manager 300K+ · 4.8★ (726) wp.org #24 ↓1 12 too low 13 All in One SEO – AI SEO Plugin to Boost SEO Rankings & Traffic (Schema, Local SEO, Sitemap & SEO Insights) 2M+ · 4.7★ (5231) wp.org #20 ↑1 7 too low 14 Import Export Menu 3K+ · 4.4★ (10) wp.org #6 8 too high 15 Import WP – CSV & XML Import Export for WordPress 4K+ · 4.4★ (25) wp.org #12 ↓1 3 too high 16 Export Users Data CSV 1K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #8 ↑5 8 too high 17 Simple Export Import for ACF Data 1K+ · 3.4★ (16) wp.org #15 ↑2 2 too high 18 Magic Export & Import 200+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #10 8 too high 19 Export All Posts, Products, Orders & Users | WP Ultimate Exporter | WordPress CSV Export 6K+ · 3.2★ (16) wp.org #14 ↑1 5 too high 20 Blocks Export Import – Backup & Move Gutenberg Blocks as JSON 1K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #5 15 too high 21 Export/Import Media – CSV Media Library Import & Export 1K+ · 3.7★ (3) wp.org #9 ↓1 12 too high 22 WP Taxonomy Manager 1K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #18 ↑1 4 too high 23 Export Orders for WooCommerce – AI & MCP for Claude and ChatGPT 500+ · 3.7★ (6) wp.org #13 ↑1 10 too high 24 Menu Export Import 100+ · 4.3★ (3) wp.org #16 8 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.