Plugin Pulse
← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “orphan content”

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 “orphan content”, 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

BKoding – Orphan Page Finder shows at wp.org #6 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 20+ 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

Optimize Database after Deleting Revisions places #8 on merit, 4.7★ from 181 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 Orphans 50K+ · 5.0★ (164) wp.org #1 2 Link Whisper Free 30K+ · 4.1★ (146) wp.org #4 2 too low 3 MxChat – AI Chatbot & Content Generation for WordPress 2K+ · 5.0★ (30) wp.org #3 4 Advanced Database Cleaner – Optimize & Clean Database to Speed Up Site Performance 100K+ · 4.9★ (1957) wp.org #12 ↓2 8 too low 5 WP Bulk Delete 90K+ · 4.6★ (131) wp.org #7 ↓1 2 too low 6 Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1277) wp.org #14 8 too low 7 Shortcodes Finder 4K+ · 4.9★ (53) wp.org #8 ↓1 1 too low 8 Optimize Database after Deleting Revisions 60K+ · 4.7★ (181) wp.org #22 14 too low 9 Cleanup Orphan Images 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #2 7 too high 10 Autoremove Attachments 3K+ · 5.0★ (15) wp.org #13 3 too low 11 E Easy WP Cleaner 2K+ · 5.0★ (41) wp.org #21 10 too low 12 LWS Cleaner 20K+ · 4.8★ (16) wp.org #15 3 too low 13 Interlinks Manager – Internal Links Optimizer 7K+ · 4.6★ (5) wp.org #5 8 too high 14 LinkBoss – Semantic AI Internal Linking 2K+ · 4.8★ (17) wp.org #23 9 too low 15 SEO Repair Kit – Spam Monitor, Meta Manager, Schema Manager, Internal Linking, SEO Content Monitoring, GSC Integration 2K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #9 6 too high 16 Remove Orphan Shortcodes 1K+ · 3.9★ (14) wp.org #19 3 too low 17 SweepPress: Website Cleanup and Optimization 500+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #18 ↓2 1 too low 18 BKoding – Orphan Page Finder 20+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #6 ↑2 12 too high 19 Gerdoo Orphan Media Cleaner — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #10 9 too high 20 Intouch Orphan Table Cleaner 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #11 ↑1 9 too high 21 Interlink – Internal Links Manager, Orphan Page Finder & SEO Link Suggestions 30+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 ↑1 4 too high 22 Rc2i Content Pruning 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 2 too high 23 Relinka – Internal Linking & Orphan Page Finder 40+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #16 ↑1 7 too high 24 Codesala SEO Content Engine 20+ · 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.