wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “parent comment”
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 “parent comment”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 of the top 20.
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
Modify Comment Parent shows at wp.org #3 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 18 places. Its 80+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Polylang places #10 on merit, 4.7★ from 3004 reviews, but shows at wp.org #18. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Disable Comments 1M+ · 4.7★ (281)
wp.org #1 2 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #5 ↓1 3 too low 3 
Simple History – Track, Log, and Audit WordPress Changes 300K+ · 4.9★ (491)
wp.org #8 ↓1 5 too low 4 
bbPress 100K+ · 3.9★ (343)
wp.org #6 2 too low 5 
The SEO Framework – Fast, Automated, Effortless. 200K+ · 4.9★ (380) not PHP-current
wp.org #7 ↑2 2 too low 6 
Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423)
wp.org #11 5 too low 7 
Disqus Comment System 30K+ · 2.7★ (219) low rating, top placement
wp.org #4 ↑1 3 too high 8 
Custom Permalinks 100K+ · 4.1★ (116)
wp.org #9 ↓1 1 too low 9 
Post Duplicator 200K+ · 4.8★ (80)
wp.org #10 1 too low 10 Polylang 900K+ · 4.7★ (3004)
wp.org #18 ↑2 8 too low 11 
No Category Parents 6K+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #2 9 too high 12 
Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) 2M+ · 4.5★ (1440) heavy footprint
wp.org #13 ↑9 1 too low 13 
WP-Sweep 100K+ · 4.7★ (138)
wp.org #14 ↓1 1 too low 14 
Media Library Assistant 70K+ · 4.8★ (202)
wp.org #19 5 too low 15 
WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance 1M+ · 4.8★ (2617)
wp.org #22 7 too low 16 
Loco Translate 1M+ · 4.8★ (453)
wp.org #17 ↓1 1 too low 17 P Page-list 30K+ · 4.7★ (89)
wp.org #20 ↓3 3 too low 18 
Search & Filter 40K+ · 4.5★ (175)
wp.org #23 ↓2 5 too low 19 
Enable Abilities for MCP 5K+ · 5.0★ (17) thin reviews
wp.org #12 7 too high 20 
Simple Sitemap – Responsive HTML Sitemap for WordPress 60K+ · 3.9★ (72)
wp.org #15 ↓1 5 too high 21 Modify Comment Parent 80+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #3 18 too high 22 
Comment Experience by Progress Planner 500+ · 3.5★ (13) thin reviews
wp.org #16 ↓1 6 too high 23 
AI 60K+ · 4.2★ (10) thin reviews
wp.org #24 1 too low 24 
Remoji – Post/Comment Reaction and Enhancement 300+ · 5.0★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #21 ↓2 3 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.