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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “pagespeed monitor”

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 “pagespeed monitor”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 of the top 20. 3 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

WP Optimizer – PageSpeed, Cache, Minify & Core Web Vitals shows at wp.org #9 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 100+ 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

NitroPack – Performance, Page Speed & Cache Plugin for Core Web Vitals, CDN & Image Optimization places #9 on merit, 4.3★ from 311 reviews, but shows at wp.org #21. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Modular DS: Monitor, update, and backup multiple websites 40K+ · 5.0★ (133) wp.org #1 2 Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (397) wp.org #2 3 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) wp.org #3 4 WP Umbrella: Security Backup Restore & Monitoring 90K+ · 4.8★ (81) wp.org #4 5 SEO Engine – Smart SEO with AI, Schema & Redirection for WordPress 1K+ · 4.9★ (48) wp.org #7 2 too low 6 BerqWP – All-In-One Optimization for Core Web Vitals, Cache, CDN, Images, CSS & JavaScript 4K+ · 4.3★ (54) wp.org #8 2 too low 7 ThinkRank SEO – AI SEO Plugin for SEO & Google Search Console 20K+ · 4.9★ (36) wp.org #6 1 too high 8 xSpeed Cache: AI-Powered Performance Hub with MCP, Caching & CDN 10K+ · 5.0★ (22) wp.org #11 ↑2 3 too low 9 NitroPack – Performance, Page Speed & Cache Plugin for Core Web Vitals, CDN & Image Optimization 90K+ · 4.3★ (311) wp.org #21 ↑1 12 too low 10 Invisible Anti-Spam & CAPTCHA — reCAPTCHA Alternative for All Forms 4K+ · 4.8★ (50) wp.org #17 7 too low 11 UsageDD 1K+ · 4.8★ (19) wp.org #12 ↓1 1 too low 12 hCaptcha for WP 70K+ · 4.6★ (88) wp.org #22 ↓2 10 too low 13 phpinfo() WP – Site Health, PHP Compatibility & Server Audit 3K+ · 4.5★ (8) wp.org #10 3 too high 14 ImageKit – URL based image manipulation and optimization 1K+ · 4.7★ (13) wp.org #24 10 too low 15 Local Google Analytics for WordPress – caches external requests 3K+ · 4.5★ (10) wp.org #20 ↑1 5 too low 16 SEO Fury – SEO & GEO: Schema, XML Sitemap, Redirects, 404 Monitor, llms.txt 10+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #13 ↓1 3 too high 17 SitePulse – Performance Monitor, Safe Updates & Site Management 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #5 12 too high 18 SiteSEO – SEO Simplified 400K+ · 4.0★ (8) wp.org #15 ↑1 3 too high 19 Speed Analyzer – Speed Test & Performance Audit 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #16 ↓1 3 too high 20 Eyesite Monitor 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #14 6 too high 21 Site Suggest 50+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #23 2 too low 22 WP Optimizer – PageSpeed, Cache, Minify & Core Web Vitals 100+ · 3.0★ (2) wp.org #9 13 too high 23 Health Monitor 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #19 4 too high 24 Soovex WebP Converter – Convert Images | Optimize & Compress | Unlimited Conversions 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #18 6 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.