wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “links 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 “links manager”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 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
Broken Link Checker shows at wp.org #7 but places #15 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 500K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.8★ average from 605 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings places #8 on merit, 4.8★ from 7519 reviews, but shows at wp.org #14. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
GTM4WP – A Google Tag Manager (GTM) plugin for WordPress 700K+ · 4.5★ (155)
wp.org #1 ↑1 2 
Events Manager – Calendar, Bookings, Tickets, Appointments and more! 60K+ · 4.2★ (551) not PHP-current
wp.org #2 ↓1 3 
Download Manager 100K+ · 4.1★ (1006)
wp.org #3 4 
File Manager 1M+ · 4.6★ (1492)
wp.org #4 ↑1 5 
Internal Links Manager 10K+ · 4.8★ (33)
wp.org #5 ↓1 6 
WP Job Manager 70K+ · 4.4★ (237)
wp.org #8 ↓1 2 too low 7 
Advanced Ads – Ad Manager & AdSense 90K+ · 4.9★ (1463) not PHP-current
wp.org #11 ↑9 4 too low 8 Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7519)
wp.org #14 ↓3 6 too low 9 
Permalink Manager Lite 100K+ · 4.8★ (176)
wp.org #10 ↑2 1 too low 10 
Site Kit by Google – Analytics, Search Console, AdSense, Speed 5M+ · 4.2★ (1012)
wp.org #9 1 too high 11 
External Links – nofollow, noopener & new window 90K+ · 4.3★ (247) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #6 5 too high 12 
PrettyLinks – Affiliate Link Management, URL Shortener, Link Cloaking, Tracking & Branded Short Links 200K+ · 4.8★ (1322)
wp.org #18 ↓4 6 too low 13 
Checkout Field Manager (Checkout Manager) for WooCommerce 80K+ · 4.5★ (784)
wp.org #16 3 too low 14 
WP Event Manager – Events Calendar, Registrations, Sell Tickets with WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.0★ (249)
wp.org #12 ↓2 2 too high 15 Broken Link Checker 500K+ · 3.8★ (605) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #7 ↑1 8 too high 16 
Header Footer Code Manager 600K+ · 4.9★ (309) not PHP-current
wp.org #13 ↑2 3 too high 17 
Easy Updates Manager 300K+ · 4.8★ (726)
wp.org #21 ↑1 4 too low 18 
My Calendar – Accessible Event Manager 20K+ · 4.7★ (159)
wp.org #20 ↓1 2 too low 19 
File Manager 10K+ · 4.3★ (202)
wp.org #22 3 too low 20 
FAZ Cookie Manager 3K+ · 5.0★ (30)
wp.org #15 ↓2 5 too high 21 
BetterLinks – Link Shortener, Link Cloaking, Redirects, Affiliate Link Manager & MCP 20K+ · 4.8★ (85)
wp.org #24 ↓1 3 too low 22 
WP User Manager – Registration Form, Login Form, User Profile Builder & Member Directory 10K+ · 4.7★ (350) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #23 ↓2 1 too low 23 
Link Manager – Analyze, Automate, and Monitor Links 1K+ · 4.4★ (10) thin reviews
wp.org #19 ↓1 4 too high 24 
Interlinks Manager – Internal Links Optimizer 7K+ · 4.6★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #17 7 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.