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← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “last”

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 “last”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 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

Lock Last Modified Date shows at wp.org #12 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 80+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Rich Showcase for Google Reviews places #6 on merit, 4.9★ from 1623 reviews, but shows at wp.org #18. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 When Last Login 40K+ · 4.7★ (37) wp.org #1 2 WP Last Modified Info 40K+ · 4.9★ (855) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 WP Last Login 10K+ · 3.8★ (26) wp.org #2 1 too high 4 Classic Editor 8M+ · 4.9★ (1251) wp.org #11 ↓2 7 too low 5 Force First and Last Name as Display Name 2K+ · 4.3★ (18) wp.org #4 1 too high 6 Rich Showcase for Google Reviews 100K+ · 4.9★ (1623) wp.org #18 12 too low 7 Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423) wp.org #15 ↑2 8 too low 8 Advanced Database Cleaner – Optimize & Clean Database to Speed Up Site Performance 100K+ · 4.9★ (1962) wp.org #20 ↓6 12 too low 9 List Last Changes 1K+ · 4.8★ (11) wp.org #5 4 too high 10 Last Modified Timestamp 6K+ · 5.0★ (28) wp.org #8 2 too high 11 WP Mail SMTP by WPForms – SMTP for Reliable Email Delivery with Gmail, Outlook, Amazon SES, Brevo, Other SMTP & More 4M+ · 4.8★ (5209) wp.org #19 ↑1 8 too low 12 Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1281) wp.org #23 11 too low 13 WP Popular Posts 100K+ · 4.5★ (249) wp.org #17 ↓2 4 too low 14 WPForce Logout – WordPress User Login Logout Management Plugin 8K+ · 4.8★ (66) wp.org #14 ↑2 15 Admin Dashboard Last Edits 900+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #6 9 too high 16 Show modified Date in admin lists 6K+ · 4.9★ (32) wp.org #16 ↑2 17 B bbp last post 200+ · 5.0★ (10) wp.org #7 10 too high 18 CBX User Online & Last Login 800+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #9 ↑1 9 too high 19 Change Last Modified Date 3K+ · 4.3★ (12) wp.org #10 ↑1 9 too high 20 EventPrime – Events Calendar, Bookings, Tickets & AI 7K+ · 4.4★ (85) wp.org #24 ↓1 4 too low 21 Webheadcoder Multi-Step Forms for Contact Form 7 50K+ · 4.2★ (49) wp.org #21 ↓2 22 Plugins Last Updated Column 600+ · 4.9★ (7) wp.org #22 23 Last Users Order Column for WooCommerce 80+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #13 ↓1 10 too high 24 Lock Last Modified Date 80+ · 4.0★ (1) wp.org #12 ↑1 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.