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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “pdf optimizer”

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 “pdf optimizer”, 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

PDF Forms Filler for WPForms shows at wp.org #9 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 600+ installs carry it up the search order; its 2.6★ average from 5 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Firelight Lightbox places #9 on merit, 4.8★ from 361 reviews, but shows at wp.org #17. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 EWWW Image Optimizer 1M+ · 4.8★ (1842) wp.org #1 2 Speed Optimizer – The All-In-One Performance-Boosting Plugin 1M+ · 4.2★ (641) wp.org #2 3 reSmush.it : The original free image compressor and optimizer plugin 100K+ · 4.3★ (166) wp.org #3 4 ShortPixel Image Optimizer – Optimize Images, Convert WebP & AVIF 300K+ · 4.5★ (830) wp.org #5 1 too low 5 Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2144) wp.org #7 2 too low 6 Kraken.io Image Optimizer – Compress, Convert to WebP & AVIF, Resize & Bulk Optimize 10K+ · 4.5★ (119) wp.org #6 7 AI Engine – MCP Server & AI Chatbot for WordPress, with Claude, ChatGPT & Gemini 90K+ · 4.9★ (874) wp.org #12 ↑3 5 too low 8 Imagify Image Optimization: Optimize Images | Compress & Convert to WebP/AVIF 900K+ · 4.3★ (1656) wp.org #11 3 too low 9 Firelight Lightbox 200K+ · 4.8★ (361) wp.org #17 ↓1 8 too low 10 PDF Forms Filler for CF7 3K+ · 4.8★ (13) wp.org #4 6 too high 11 WP Compress – Instant Performance & Speed Optimization 9K+ · 4.5★ (155) wp.org #14 ↓2 3 too low 12 E2Pdf – Export Pdf Tool for WordPress 10K+ · 4.7★ (59) wp.org #8 4 too high 13 Enable Media Replace 600K+ · 4.4★ (302) wp.org #20 ↓1 7 too low 14 Image Optimizer, Resizer and CDN – Sirv 900+ · 4.9★ (265) wp.org #18 ↓1 4 too low 15 Resize Image After Upload 80K+ · 4.8★ (56) wp.org #23 8 too low 16 Image Optimizer by 10web – Image Optimizer and Compression plugin 3K+ · 4.5★ (54) wp.org #22 ↓1 6 too low 17 ImageRecycle pdf & image compression 1K+ · 4.5★ (26) wp.org #16 ↓2 1 too high 18 reGenerate Thumbnails Advanced 60K+ · 3.2★ (59) wp.org #19 ↑1 1 too low 19 DropAvif Image Optimizer – Convert WebP & AVIF | Compress Images 80+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #15 ↓2 4 too high 20 PDF Compressor & Watermark – iLovePDF 600+ · 3.4★ (5) wp.org #10 10 too high 21 PDF Forms Filler for WPForms 600+ · 2.6★ (5) wp.org #9 12 too high 22 AVIF Uploader – Upload, Display and Fix AVIF Images 4K+ · 3.4★ (5) wp.org #24 ↓2 2 too low 23 Flux Media Optimizer – Image & Video Optimization by Flux Plugins 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #13 ↑5 10 too high 24 JGWS Media Optimizer 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #21 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.