wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “outdated content alert”

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For “outdated content alert”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 of the top 20. 6 plugins are pushed down for signals wp.org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

k-OutDated Checker (k-OC) shows at wp.org #5 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 16 places. Its 60+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

LocoAI – Auto Translate for Loco Translate places #7 on merit, 4.9★ from 642 reviews, but shows at wp.org #13. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

WooCommerce 7M+ · 4.5★ (4833) throws errorsnot PHP-currentheavy footprint wp.org #1 2

Premium Addons for Elementor – AI-Ready Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates 600K+ · 4.9★ (1680) wp.org #4 2 too low 3

Filter Everything — WordPress & WooCommerce Filters 50K+ · 4.6★ (154) wp.org #3 4

Broken Link Checker 500K+ · 3.8★ (605) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #2 2 too high 5

Kadence Security – Password, Two Factor Authentication, and Brute Force Protection 700K+ · 4.6★ (3992) wp.org #6 ↓1 1 too low 6

Modular DS: Monitor, update, and backup multiple websites 40K+ · 5.0★ (133) wp.org #8 2 too low 7

LocoAI – Auto Translate for Loco Translate 70K+ · 4.9★ (642) wp.org #13 6 too low 8

Defender Security – Malware Scanner, Login Security & Firewall 80K+ · 4.8★ (334) wp.org #11 ↓2 3 too low 9

Cart Abandonment Recovery for WooCommerce – Recover Lost Sales with Automated Emails 300K+ · 4.8★ (626) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #10 ↑2 1 too low 10

Sucuri Security – Auditing, Malware Scanner and Security Hardening 600K+ · 4.2★ (386) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #7 ↑1 3 too high 11

404 to 301 – Redirect Manager, 301 Redirection, 404 Error Logs & 404 Monitoring 100K+ · 4.7★ (321) wp.org #15 4 too low 12

Easy Updates Manager 300K+ · 4.8★ (726) wp.org #18 6 too low 13

WP Store Locator 40K+ · 4.8★ (312) wp.org #24 11 too low 14

WP Umbrella: Security Backup Restore & Monitoring 90K+ · 4.8★ (81) wp.org #17 3 too low 15

s2Member – Excellent for All Kinds of Memberships, Content Restriction Paywalls & Member Access Subscriptions 8K+ · 4.1★ (234) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #12 3 too high 16

BackWPup – WordPress Backup & Restore Plugin 400K+ · 4.0★ (1323) not PHP-current wp.org #23 ↓1 7 too low 17

Trace My IP – Visitor IP Tracker, Stats Analytics & Page Views Counter with Email Alerts 1K+ · 4.5★ (21) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #9 8 too high 18

BotBlocker Security – Complete security platform 3K+ · 5.0★ (10) throws errorsnot PHP-currentheavy footprint thin reviews wp.org #19 ↓7 1 too low 19

Subscriptions for WooCommerce Recurring Payments with Membership Content Restriction 500+ · 5.0★ (5) thin reviews wp.org #20 ↑1 1 too low 20

Site Lockdown Security 700+ · 5.0★ (5) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #16 4 too high 21

k-OutDated Checker (k-OC) 60+ · 3.0★ (2) thin reviewslow rating, top placement wp.org #5 16 too high 22

AI Agent by SiteGround 1M+ · 1.7★ (98) suspect reviewsclosure riskhost-installed base wp.org #14 8 too high 23

Old Post Notice 30+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews wp.org #21 ↓2 2 too high 24

Security Ninja For MainWP 400+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews wp.org #22 ↓1 2 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.