wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “parameter”
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 “parameter”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 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
Body Class By URL Parameter shows at wp.org #2 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 21 places. Its 50+ 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
Smart Custom 404 Error Page places #6 on merit, 4.9★ from 1197 reviews, but shows at wp.org #14. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Redirection 2M+ · 4.4★ (703)
wp.org #1 2 
PixelYourSite – Your smart PIXEL (TAG) & API Manager 400K+ · 4.3★ (281)
wp.org #3 1 too low 3 
Redis Object Cache 500K+ · 4.5★ (179)
wp.org #4 1 too low 4 
WP Super Cache 1M+ · 4.3★ (1346)
wp.org #7 ↑1 3 too low 5 
Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (397)
wp.org #11 ↑6 6 too low 6 Smart Custom 404 Error Page 100K+ · 4.9★ (1197)
wp.org #14 ↓2 8 too low 7 
WP Statistics – Simple, privacy-friendly Google Analytics alternative 500K+ · 4.1★ (759)
wp.org #9 ↑1 2 too low 8 
Premium Addons for Elementor – AI-Ready Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates 600K+ · 4.9★ (1680)
wp.org #13 ↑1 5 too low 9 
MaxButtons – Create buttons 70K+ · 4.9★ (1093)
wp.org #17 ↓1 8 too low 10 
URL Params 8K+ · 5.0★ (37)
wp.org #8 ↓1 2 too high 11 
Click to Chat – HoliThemes 600K+ · 4.8★ (131)
wp.org #10 ↓1 1 too high 12 
Super Page Cache – Cloudflare Cache, Page Speed & Core Web Vitals 70K+ · 4.8★ (517)
wp.org #18 ↑2 6 too low 13 P Page-list 30K+ · 4.7★ (89)
wp.org #12 ↓1 1 too high 14 
Shortcoder — Create Shortcodes for Anything 100K+ · 4.9★ (227)
wp.org #16 ↓1 2 too low 15 
GenerateBlocks 200K+ · 4.9★ (122)
wp.org #15 ↓2 16 
ShortPixel Image Optimizer – Optimize Images, Convert WebP & AVIF 300K+ · 4.5★ (830)
wp.org #21 5 too low 17 R Really Simple CSV Importer 40K+ · 4.9★ (107)
wp.org #23 ↓1 6 too low 18 
Newsletter – Send awesome emails from WordPress 200K+ · 4.6★ (1205) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #22 4 too low 19 
Blog Designer Pack – Blog, Post Grid, Post Slider, Post Carousel, Category Post, News 30K+ · 4.7★ (79)
wp.org #24 ↓1 5 too low 20 
Advanced iFrame 40K+ · 4.4★ (54)
wp.org #20 ↓1 21 
LWS Tools 10K+ · 5.0★ (6) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #5 16 too high 22 
Advanced Woo Labels – Product Labels & Badges for WooCommerce 10K+ · 5.0★ (64) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #19 ↓1 3 too high 23 Body Class By URL Parameter 50+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #2 21 too high 24 
Noindex Parameters 60+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #6 18 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.