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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “mysql compatibility”

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 “mysql compatibility”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 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

phpinfo() WP – Site Health, PHP Compatibility & Server Audit shows at wp.org #5 but places #16 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 3K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.5★ average from 8 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Migrate Guru – Site Migration & Cloning places #11 on merit, 4.9★ from 1645 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 Index WP MySQL For Speed 50K+ · 4.8★ (99) wp.org #1 2 All-in-One WP Migration and Backup 5M+ · 4.5★ (7676) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 WPvivid — Backup, Migration & Staging 900K+ · 4.9★ (1568) wp.org #6 3 too low 4 Relevanssi – A Better Search 100K+ · 4.8★ (406) wp.org #8 ↑2 4 too low 5 BuddyPress 90K+ · 4.1★ (375) wp.org #7 ↑2 2 too low 6 wpDataTables – WordPress Data Table, Dynamic Tables & Table Charts Plugin 60K+ · 4.5★ (449) wp.org #9 ↑2 3 too low 7 Plugin Compatibility Checker 9K+ · 4.2★ (12) wp.org #2 5 too high 8 Version Info – Server Health Monitor, PHP & MySQL Version Display, Environment Indicators 10K+ · 5.0★ (15) wp.org #4 4 too high 9 Database Addon For WPForms ( wpforms entries ) – WPFormsDB 20K+ · 5.0★ (131) wp.org #10 ↓3 1 too low 10 Duplicate Page 3M+ · 4.8★ (466) wp.org #11 ↑1 1 too low 11 Migrate Guru – Site Migration & Cloning 200K+ · 4.9★ (1645) wp.org #21 ↓5 10 too low 12 JetBackup – Backup, Restore & Migrate 200K+ · 4.5★ (1056) wp.org #18 6 too low 13 Robo Gallery – Photo & Image Slider 40K+ · 4.3★ (406) wp.org #16 ↑3 3 too low 14 Media Cleaner: Delete Unused Images & Clean Your Media Library 90K+ · 4.6★ (779) wp.org #22 8 too low 15 Nextend Social Login and Register 200K+ · 4.9★ (446) wp.org #23 ↓2 8 too low 16 phpinfo() WP – Site Health, PHP Compatibility & Server Audit 3K+ · 4.5★ (8) wp.org #5 11 too high 17 WPVulnerability 10K+ · 5.0★ (20) wp.org #12 ↓4 5 too high 18 NinjaFirewall (WP Edition) – Advanced Security Plugin and Firewall 100K+ · 4.9★ (220) wp.org #15 3 too high 19 Database Backup for WordPress 60K+ · 4.5★ (66) wp.org #19 ↑1 20 Debug Bar 20K+ · 4.1★ (69) wp.org #20 ↑4 21 Nginx Helper 200K+ · 4.4★ (31) wp.org #17 4 too high 22 S SQLite Database Integration 5K+ · 4.6★ (12) wp.org #13 9 too high 23 Unlist Posts & Pages 10K+ · 4.7★ (15) wp.org #24 ↓1 1 too low 24 TiDB Compatibility 80+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #14 10 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.