wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “page manager”
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 “page manager”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 5 of the top 20. 2 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
Page Visits Counter – Lite shows at wp.org #16 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 5K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.0★ average from 7 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Events Manager – Calendar, Bookings, Tickets, Appointments and more! 60K+ · 4.2★ (551) not PHP-current
wp.org #1 2 
Super Page Cache – Cloudflare Cache, Page Speed & Core Web Vitals 70K+ · 4.8★ (517)
wp.org #3 1 too low 3 
GTM4WP – A Google Tag Manager (GTM) plugin for WordPress 700K+ · 4.5★ (155)
wp.org #2 1 too high 4 
File Manager 1M+ · 4.6★ (1492)
wp.org #4 5 
Download Manager 100K+ · 4.1★ (1006)
wp.org #5 6 
Advanced File Manager – Ultimate File Manager for WordPress And Document Library Solution 100K+ · 4.8★ (441)
wp.org #6 7 
Folders – Unlimited Folders to Organize Media Library Folder, Pages, Posts, File Manager 90K+ · 5.0★ (1525)
wp.org #9 2 too low 8 
Site Kit by Google – Analytics, Search Console, AdSense, Speed 5M+ · 4.2★ (1012)
wp.org #7 1 too high 9 
WP Job Manager 70K+ · 4.4★ (237)
wp.org #8 1 too high 10 
Checkout Field Manager (Checkout Manager) for WooCommerce 80K+ · 4.5★ (784)
wp.org #12 2 too low 11 
Permalink Manager Lite 100K+ · 4.8★ (176)
wp.org #11 12 
WP Event Manager – Events Calendar, Registrations, Sell Tickets with WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.0★ (249)
wp.org #10 2 too high 13 
Ad Inserter – Ad Manager & AdSense Ads 300K+ · 4.9★ (2433)
wp.org #19 6 too low 14 
Advanced Ads – Ad Manager & AdSense 90K+ · 4.9★ (1463) not PHP-current
wp.org #15 ↓1 1 too low 15 
Easy Updates Manager 300K+ · 4.8★ (726)
wp.org #22 ↓2 7 too low 16 
Header Footer Code Manager 600K+ · 4.9★ (309) not PHP-current
wp.org #14 ↓1 2 too high 17 
My Calendar – Accessible Event Manager 20K+ · 4.7★ (159)
wp.org #21 4 too low 18 
FAZ Cookie Manager 3K+ · 5.0★ (30)
wp.org #13 ↑2 5 too high 19 
Smart Archive Page Remove 6K+ · 4.9★ (59)
wp.org #17 2 too high 20 
File Manager 10K+ · 4.3★ (202)
wp.org #23 3 too low 21 
WP User Manager – Registration Form, Login Form, User Profile Builder & Member Directory 10K+ · 4.7★ (350) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #24 ↓2 3 too low 22 
WP Duplicate Page 60K+ · 4.2★ (16) thin reviews
wp.org #18 4 too high 23 
APCu Manager 10K+ · 4.6★ (20) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #20 ↓1 3 too high 24 Page Visits Counter – Lite 5K+ · 4.0★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #16 8 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.