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

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 “loopback”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 5 of the top 20.

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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.

Ranked above its merit

Smart Admin Assistant shows at wp.org #15 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 200+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.3★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Easy MCP AI – Connect Claude to WordPress: MCP Server for ChatGPT & AI Agents 30K+ · 4.9★ (16) wp.org #1 2 Headers Security Advanced & HSTS WP 90K+ · 4.9★ (79) wp.org #2 3 OGEEAT 200+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #3 4 EasyFonts – Host Google Fonts Locally, Fast & Auto-Optimize, GDPR Compliant 1K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #5 1 too low 5 phpinfo() WP – Site Health, PHP Compatibility & Server Audit 3K+ · 4.5★ (8) wp.org #6 1 too low 6 Lockora Security Audit 200+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #7 1 too low 7 Agent Abilities for MCP – Connect Claude and ChatGPT with Permission Controls and Audit Log 800+ · 4.8★ (5) wp.org #10 3 too low 8 WP Show Site by IP 50+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #9 1 too low 9 Cron Setup and Monitor – Get URL Cron 1K+ · 3.0★ (2) wp.org #4 5 too high 10 Scouting OpenID Connect 30+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #8 2 too high 11 H Hybrid Cache Maintenance & CSS Healer for Elementor 60+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #11 12 Triomize – SEO, AEO & GEO Content Optimization 10+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #23 ↓1 11 too low 13 DevDome Affiliate Manager: Amazon Affiliate Plugin for Amazon Associates 300+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #12 1 too high 14 J JTZL's Bot Maze 40+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #13 ↑6 1 too high 15 Edward – AI SEO Autopilot & Content Writer 200+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 ↓1 2 too low 16 Findex for IndexNow 40+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #18 ↓1 2 too low 17 SiteIntelix – Developer & Admin Toolkit 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #14 ↓1 3 too high 18 Unstoppable Site Connector 300+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #19 ↑1 1 too low 19 Pressific Bio for LLMs.txt 70+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 ↑1 1 too low 20 ScheduleLens – Cron Viewer & Manager — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #16 ↓2 4 too high 21 AI SEO Tools – Alt Text, Meta Descriptions, Schema & AI Content 90+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 ↑2 22 TSO Link Inspector 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 ↑2 23 Vortix Web Security — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #24 1 too low 24 Smart Admin Assistant 200+ · 3.3★ (3) wp.org #15 ↑3 9 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.