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

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 “modified”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 14 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

Lock Last Modified Date shows at wp.org #6 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 18 places. Its 80+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

ACF: Better Search places #9 on merit, 4.9★ from 165 reviews, but shows at wp.org #20. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

WP Last Modified Info 40K+ · 4.9★ (855) wp.org #1 2

UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8706) wp.org #4 2 too low 3

Show modified Date in admin lists 6K+ · 4.9★ (32) wp.org #2 1 too high 4

Last Modified Timestamp 6K+ · 5.0★ (28) wp.org #3 1 too high 5

WP Super Cache 1M+ · 4.3★ (1346) wp.org #8 ↑3 3 too low 6

Better Search Replace 1M+ · 4.3★ (546) wp.org #9 3 too low 7

Media Library Assistant 70K+ · 4.8★ (202) wp.org #13 ↑4 6 too low 8

Search Regex 100K+ · 4.7★ (101) wp.org #15 ↓1 7 too low 9

ACF: Better Search 40K+ · 4.9★ (165) wp.org #20 ↓2 11 too low 10

GTM4WP – A Google Tag Manager (GTM) plugin for WordPress 700K+ · 4.5★ (155) wp.org #14 ↓1 4 too low 11

Change Last Modified Date 3K+ · 4.3★ (12) thin reviews wp.org #5 7 too high 13

Enable Media Replace 600K+ · 4.4★ (302) wp.org #18 ↑3 5 too low 14

Disable Comments 1M+ · 4.7★ (281) wp.org #19 5 too low 15

One Click Demo Import 1M+ · 4.3★ (79) host-installed base wp.org #10 ↓2 5 too high 16

Proxy Cache Purge 50K+ · 4.4★ (26) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #7 9 too high 17

NinjaFirewall (WP Edition) – Advanced Security Plugin and Firewall 100K+ · 4.9★ (220) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #17 ↓1 18

Export All URLs 50K+ · 4.6★ (94) wp.org #21 ↓2 3 too low 19

Cache Enabler 100K+ · 4.3★ (139) wp.org #22 ↓2 3 too low 20

Job Postings 10K+ · 4.4★ (58) wp.org #23 ↓1 3 too low 21

Hover Effects – easily create any hover effect 7K+ · 4.8★ (17) thin reviews wp.org #16 ↓1 5 too high 22

HTML Page Sitemap (Block and Shortcode) 10K+ · 4.4★ (24) thin reviews wp.org #24 ↓1 2 too low 23

Aruba HiSpeed Cache 100K+ · 3.0★ (10) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #11 ↓1 12 too high 24

Lock Last Modified Date 80+ · 4.0★ (1) thin reviews wp.org #6 18 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.