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← Rankings

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

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 “offsite”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 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

Luzid Backup to Nextcloud shows at wp.org #9 but places #16 on merit, a gap of 7 places. Its 100+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Conversios – GA4, Google Ads & Meta Conversion Tracking with Product Feed for WooCommerce places #7 on merit, 4.3★ from 206 reviews, but shows at wp.org #12. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 WPvivid — Backup, Migration & Staging 900K+ · 4.9★ (1568) wp.org #1 2 WP STAGING – Backups & Restore, Migration & Clone Plugin – Cloud Backups, Scheduled Backups 100K+ · 4.8★ (2470) wp.org #2 3 BlogVault Backup & Staging 80K+ · 4.6★ (332) wp.org #3 4 JetBackup – Backup, Restore & Migrate 200K+ · 4.5★ (1056) wp.org #4 5 WPBot – AI ChatBot for Live Support, Lead Generation, WordPress Automation, AI Services 5K+ · 4.7★ (124) wp.org #6 1 too low 6 Newsletters 2K+ · 4.7★ (246) wp.org #7 1 too low 7 Conversios – GA4, Google Ads & Meta Conversion Tracking with Product Feed for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.3★ (206) wp.org #12 ↑1 5 too low 8 QR Redirector 4K+ · 4.3★ (11) wp.org #5 3 too high 9 AI ChatBot for WooCommerce – WoowBot 1K+ · 4.8★ (19) wp.org #14 5 too low 10 Keep Backup Daily 200+ · 4.4★ (45) wp.org #13 ↓1 3 too low 11 Payment Gateway using Mollie for Easy Digital Downloads 100+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #8 3 too high 12 Indicate External Links 600+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #11 ↓1 1 too high 13 Nifty Backups – WordPress Backup & Restore 70+ · 5.0★ (12) wp.org #17 4 too low 14 WP Admin Audit 1K+ · 3.7★ (6) wp.org #10 ↑1 4 too high 15 Easy Digital Downloads – Store Hours 10+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #16 1 too low 16 Luzid Backup to Nextcloud 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #9 7 too high 17 Simple Payoneer Offsite Gateway for WooCommerce 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #15 2 too high 18 BackupYourSite — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #19 1 too low 19 FormShield 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 1 too low 20 WebCalendar 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 ↑2 1 too low 21 UseAdvert Affiliate Marketing & Sales — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 ↓1 1 too low 22 Codeavour Smart Backup & Restore 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 1 too low 23 Billplz Addon for Contact Form 7 — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #18 5 too high 24 WP Get The Table 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #24 ↓2

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.