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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “monitor plugin”

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 “monitor plugin”, 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.

Ranked above its merit

Melapress File Monitor shows at wp.org #12 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 7 places. Its 5K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.1★ average from 32 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More places #12 on merit, 4.8★ from 14387 reviews, but shows at wp.org #22. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Download Monitor 80K+ · 4.5★ (525) wp.org #1 2 Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) wp.org #2 3 Query Monitor 200K+ · 4.9★ (470) wp.org #3 4 Simple Download Monitor 20K+ · 4.7★ (158) wp.org #4 5 All in One SEO – AI SEO Plugin to Boost SEO Rankings & Traffic (Schema, Local SEO, Sitemap & SEO Insights) 2M+ · 4.7★ (5231) wp.org #6 1 too low 6 Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7519) wp.org #9 3 too low 7 Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (397) wp.org #8 1 too low 8 Security Optimizer – The All-In-One Protection Plugin 1M+ · 4.5★ (157) wp.org #5 3 too high 9 Activity Log – Monitor User and Agent Changes 200K+ · 4.3★ (74) wp.org #7 2 too high 10 BackWPup – WordPress Backup & Restore Plugin 400K+ · 4.0★ (1323) wp.org #10 11 Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2143) wp.org #18 7 too low 12 WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More 5M+ · 4.8★ (14387) wp.org #22 10 too low 13 GiveWP – Donation Plugin and Fundraising Platform 100K+ · 4.6★ (708) wp.org #11 2 too high 14 Independent Analytics – WordPress Analytics Plugin 100K+ · 4.8★ (167) wp.org #16 2 too low 15 GeoDirectory – WP Business Directory Plugin and Classified Listings Directory 10K+ · 4.8★ (716) wp.org #20 5 too low 16 WooCommerce 7M+ · 4.5★ (4833) wp.org #14 2 too high 17 Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408) wp.org #19 2 too low 18 E Error Log Monitor 20K+ · 4.3★ (48) wp.org #13 5 too high 19 Melapress File Monitor 5K+ · 4.1★ (32) wp.org #12 7 too high 20 Outdated Plugin Notifier 400+ · 5.0★ (9) wp.org #21 1 too low 21 SEO Backlink Monitor 700+ · 4.6★ (10) wp.org #17 4 too high 22 Traffic Monitor 1K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #15 7 too high 23 Campaign Monitor for WordPress 2K+ · 1.7★ (40) wp.org #24 1 too low 24 Plugin Memory Usage 600+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #23 1 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.