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← Rankings

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

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 “origin”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 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

Origin Layouts Manager shows at wp.org #5 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 15 places. Its 10+ 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

WP Super Cache places #9 on merit, 4.3★ from 1346 reviews, but shows at wp.org #17. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) wp.org #1 2 Widgets for Google Reviews 1M+ · 4.9★ (2667) wp.org #2 3 Limit Login Attempts Security – Login Security, 2FA, Firewall, Brute Force Prevention 1M+ · 4.8★ (1488) wp.org #4 1 too low 4 HTTP Headers 40K+ · 4.3★ (70) wp.org #3 1 too high 5 Headers Security Advanced & HSTS WP 90K+ · 4.8★ (80) wp.org #6 1 too low 6 Use Any Font | Custom Font Uploader 200K+ · 4.7★ (1148) wp.org #12 6 too low 7 The SEO Framework – Fast, Automated, Effortless. 200K+ · 4.9★ (380) wp.org #9 2 too low 8 FAZ Cookie Manager 3K+ · 5.0★ (30) wp.org #7 ↑1 1 too high 9 WP Super Cache 1M+ · 4.3★ (1346) wp.org #17 ↑3 8 too low 10 WP Hide & Security Enhancer 50K+ · 4.3★ (275) wp.org #11 1 too low 11 Staatic – Static Site Generator for WordPress 3K+ · 4.4★ (21) wp.org #8 ↓1 3 too high 12 Advanced Shipment Tracking for WooCommerce 70K+ · 4.5★ (355) wp.org #18 6 too low 13 FastPixel Cache – Optimize Page Speed: Compress Images, Minify, Clean Database & CDN 4K+ · 4.8★ (50) wp.org #22 ↓1 9 too low 14 Shipping Live Rates for USPS for WooCommerce 2K+ · 4.7★ (30) wp.org #21 7 too low 15 Zero Spam for WordPress 20K+ · 4.1★ (143) wp.org #20 ↓1 5 too low 16 SEO Optimized Images 10K+ · 4.0★ (27) wp.org #19 ↓2 3 too low 17 Search Insights – Privacy-Friendly Search Analytics 3K+ · 4.9★ (29) wp.org #23 ↓1 6 too low 18 Stape Conversion Tracking 10K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #14 4 too high 19 WP Anti-Clickjack 3K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #13 6 too high 20 Origin Layouts Manager 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #5 15 too high 21 Origin Filter for WooCommerce 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #15 ↑1 6 too high 22 Enable CORS 5K+ · 3.7★ (3) wp.org #16 ↓1 6 too high 23 Image Prioritizer 40K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #10 13 too high 24 Product of Origin 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #24

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.