wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “menu caching”

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 “menu caching”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 6 of the top 20. 1 plugin is 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

Speed Up – Browser Caching shows at wp.org #9 but places #17 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 700+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 7 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance places #11 on merit, 4.8★ from 2617 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 signals wp.org

LiteSpeed Cache 7M+ · 4.8★ (2778) wp.org #2 1 too low 2

Max Mega Menu 300K+ · 4.8★ (882) wp.org #3 1 too low 3

Menu Caching 400+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews wp.org #1 2 too high 4

Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322) not PHP-currentheavy footprint wp.org #6 2 too low 5

Menu Cart for WooCommerce 70K+ · 4.6★ (99) wp.org #7 1 too low 7

Float menu – awesome floating side menu 30K+ · 4.4★ (41) wp.org #5 2 too high 8

W3 Total Cache 900K+ · 4.4★ (5420) wp.org #11 3 too low 9

Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408) wp.org #10 1 too low 10

Iks Menu – WordPress Category Accordion Menu & FAQs 10K+ · 5.0★ (27) wp.org #8 2 too high 11

WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance 1M+ · 4.8★ (2617) wp.org #18 ↓1 7 too low 12

Docket Cache – Object Cache Accelerator 20K+ · 4.9★ (50) wp.org #14 ↑4 2 too low 13

WP Fastest Cache – WordPress Cache Plugin 1M+ · 4.9★ (4228) wp.org #24 11 too low 14

Speed Optimizer – The All-In-One Performance-Boosting Plugin 1M+ · 4.2★ (641) wp.org #16 ↓2 2 too low 15

Admin Menu Tree Page View 10K+ · 4.6★ (48) wp.org #15 ↓2 16

WP Menu Cart 8K+ · 4.8★ (23) thin reviews wp.org #12 ↓2 4 too high 17

Speed Up – Browser Caching 700+ · 5.0★ (7) thin reviews wp.org #9 8 too high 18

Powered Cache – Caching and Optimization for WordPress – Easily Improve PageSpeed & Web Vitals Score 3K+ · 4.8★ (58) wp.org #23 5 too low 19

xSpeed Cache: AI-Powered Performance Hub with MCP, Caching & CDN 10K+ · 5.0★ (22) thin reviews wp.org #20 ↑1 1 too low 20

WPB Accordion Menu – Collapsible Vertical Sidebar Responsive Mobile Menu – WooCommerce Category Accordion 10K+ · 4.4★ (54) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #19 ↓3 1 too high 21

Side Menu Lite – Sticky Floating Side Menu 7K+ · 4.0★ (12) thin reviews wp.org #13 ↓1 8 too high 22

Groovy Menu Plugin (Free) 4K+ · 3.6★ (25) wp.org #21 ↓2 1 too high 23

Bubble Menu – Floating Button Menu with Sticky Navigation 1K+ · 4.2★ (9) thin reviews wp.org #22 ↓2 1 too high 24

Menu Visibility Control 700+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews wp.org #17 ↓2 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.