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← Rankings

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

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 “manifest”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 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.

T

Ranked above its merit

TGG – WP Optimizer shows at wp.org #9 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 700+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Disable Bloat for WordPress & WooCommerce places #9 on merit, 4.8★ from 100 reviews, but shows at wp.org #21. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Vigilant – 100% Free Security Suite: Firewall, 2FA, Login, Headers, Scanner… 3K+ · 5.0★ (24) wp.org #1 2 PWA for WP – Progressive Web Apps Made Simple 10K+ · 4.6★ (230) wp.org #2 3 Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423) wp.org #3 4 Super Progressive Web Apps 40K+ · 4.6★ (225) wp.org #5 ↓1 1 too low 5 Code Prettify 1K+ · 5.0★ (18) wp.org #4 1 too high 6 Unbloater 5K+ · 5.0★ (17) wp.org #7 1 too low 7 Hyper PWA – Bringing Modern Progressive Web App Experiences 400+ · 4.7★ (12) wp.org #6 ↑3 1 too high 8 Disable XML-RPC-API 100K+ · 4.2★ (43) wp.org #10 ↓5 2 too low 9 Disable Bloat for WordPress & WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.8★ (100) wp.org #21 ↑1 12 too low 10 WPS Bidouille 9K+ · 4.9★ (54) wp.org #14 ↓1 4 too low 11 Disable Everything 30K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #8 3 too high 12 WPMasterToolKit (WPMTK) – All in one plugin 5K+ · 5.0★ (28) wp.org #19 ↓3 7 too low 13 Shipping Packages for WooCommerce – Dropship from multiple locations like AliExpress, eBay, Amazon, Etsy 900+ · 4.8★ (17) wp.org #15 ↓1 2 too low 14 PWA 20K+ · 4.3★ (27) wp.org #24 ↓1 10 too low 15 Falcon – Cache, Performance, Security, Cleanup, and Tweaks 2K+ · 5.0★ (10) wp.org #16 ↑1 1 too low 16 LWS Tools 10K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #12 4 too high 17 Manager for IcoMoon 400+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #17 ↓2 18 Multi-Carrier Shippo Shipping Rates & Address Validation for WooCommerce 3K+ · 3.8★ (11) wp.org #11 7 too high 19 Open Search Document 200+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #20 ↓1 1 too low 20 T TGG – WP Optimizer 700+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #9 ↓3 11 too high 21 AI Content Signals 800+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #23 2 too low 22 CAPI Suite: Meta Pixel, Pinterest & TikTok for WooCommerce 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #22 ↓1 23 Thumbnail Manager 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #13 ↓3 10 too high 24 IKAROS Ai Commerce Infrastructure 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #18 6 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.