wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “media upload restrictions”
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 “media upload restrictions”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 of the top 20. 5 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
Restrict WP Upload Type shows at wp.org #14 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 300+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 4 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Translate WordPress with GTranslate places #11 on merit, 4.9★ from 4962 reviews, but shows at wp.org #15. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Enable Media Replace 600K+ · 4.4★ (302)
wp.org #1 2 
Folders – Unlimited Folders to Organize Media Library Folder, Pages, Posts, File Manager 90K+ · 5.0★ (1525)
wp.org #2 ↑2 3 
Converter for Media – Optimize images | Convert WebP & AVIF 500K+ · 4.9★ (1106)
wp.org #3 ↓1 4 
EasyMedia – Increase Media Upload File Size | Role-Based Upload Limit | Increase Execution Time 70K+ · 4.9★ (99)
wp.org #4 ↓1 5 
Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2143)
wp.org #8 ↓2 3 too low 6 
BackWPup – WordPress Backup & Restore Plugin 400K+ · 4.0★ (1323) not PHP-current
wp.org #5 ↑2 1 too high 7 
Media Library Organizer – Folders, File Manager & Media Categories 20K+ · 4.7★ (150) not PHP-current
wp.org #6 ↓1 1 too high 8 
Iptanus File Upload 10K+ · 4.4★ (117)
wp.org #7 ↑2 1 too high 9 
All-in-One WP Migration and Backup 5M+ · 4.5★ (7676)
wp.org #11 2 too low 10 
Media Library Folders 10K+ · 4.3★ (465)
wp.org #10 ↑1 11 Translate WordPress with GTranslate 900K+ · 4.9★ (4962)
wp.org #15 4 too low 12 
User Registration & Membership – Free & Paid Memberships, Subscriptions, Content Restriction, User Profile, Custom User Registration & Login Builder 50K+ · 4.8★ (832)
wp.org #16 ↓4 4 too low 13 
SVG Support 1M+ · 4.8★ (356)
wp.org #13 ↑1 14 
Fluent Forms – Customizable Contact Forms, Survey, Quiz, & Conversational Form Builder 800K+ · 4.8★ (807)
wp.org #24 ↓3 10 too low 15 
Country Based Restrictions for WooCommerce 5K+ · 4.5★ (52) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #9 ↓1 6 too high 16 
GTM4WP – A Google Tag Manager (GTM) plugin for WordPress 700K+ · 4.5★ (155)
wp.org #20 ↓3 4 too low 17 
User Frontend – Membership, User Registration, User Profile, User Directory & Content Restriction with Frontend Post Submission 20K+ · 4.1★ (537) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #19 ↑3 2 too low 18 
Media Cloud Sync 1K+ · 4.9★ (13) thin reviews
wp.org #12 ↓2 6 too high 19 
rtMedia for WordPress, BuddyPress and bbPress 7K+ · 3.7★ (152) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #18 1 too high 20 
Shared Files – File Upload & Download Manager 4K+ · 4.4★ (34)
wp.org #23 ↓7 3 too low 21 
Page and Post Restriction 1K+ · 4.3★ (16) thin reviews
wp.org #21 22 Restrict WP Upload Type 300+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #14 ↓1 8 too high 23 W WP Upload Restriction 2K+ · 3.7★ (15) thin reviews
wp.org #22 ↓3 1 too high 24 
Virtual Media Folders 300+ · 5.0★ (2) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #17 ↑3 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.