wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “php 8.4”

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 “php 8.4”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.

Ranked above its merit

CompatNav – PHP Upgrade Checker shows at wp.org #10 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 300+ installs carry it up the search order; its 0.0★ average from 0 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Related Posts for WordPress places #11 on merit, 4.6★ from 325 reviews, but shows at wp.org #20. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

Stop User Enumeration 60K+ · 4.9★ (132) wp.org #2 1 too low 2

All-in-One WP Migration and Backup 5M+ · 4.5★ (7676) wp.org #4 2 too low 3

Native PHP Sessions 10K+ · 4.9★ (16) thin reviews wp.org #3 4

Stop WP Emails Going to Spam 10K+ · 4.8★ (51) wp.org #5 1 too low 5

Search Regex 100K+ · 4.7★ (101) wp.org #7 2 too low 6

UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8708) wp.org #14 8 too low 7

Image Hover Effects Ultimate ( Image Gallery, Effects, Lightbox, Comparison & Magnifier ) 10K+ · 4.7★ (250) wp.org #11 4 too low 8

WP Console – WordPress PHP Console powered by PsySH 20K+ · 5.0★ (21) thin reviews wp.org #6 2 too high 9

WebToffee WooCommerce PDF Invoices, Packing Slips, Delivery Notes & Shipping Labels 50K+ · 4.9★ (285) wp.org #13 4 too low 10

Eli's PHP Compatibility Scanner 1K+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews wp.org #1 9 too high 11

Buy one click for WooCommerce 3K+ · 4.4★ (26) wp.org #8 4 too high 13

Simple Custom CSS Plugin 100K+ · 4.7★ (159) wp.org #19 6 too low 14

SEO Redirection Plugin – 301 Redirect Manager 10K+ · 4.3★ (73) wp.org #15 1 too low 15

Contact Form Clean and Simple 7K+ · 4.7★ (195) wp.org #21 6 too low 16

CSS & JavaScript Toolbox 10K+ · 4.8★ (84) wp.org #22 6 too low 17

Docket Cache – Object Cache Accelerator 20K+ · 4.9★ (50) wp.org #23 6 too low 18

phpinfo() WP – Site Health, PHP Compatibility & Server Audit 3K+ · 4.5★ (8) thin reviews wp.org #9 9 too high 19

ACF Options For Polylang 20K+ · 4.4★ (17) thin reviews wp.org #16 3 too high 20

translit it! 100+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews wp.org #24 4 too low 21

CompatNav – PHP Upgrade Checker 300+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews wp.org #10 11 too high 22

BrightLeaf Digital PHP Compatibility Scanner 500+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews wp.org #12 10 too high 23

oik 2K+ · 3.7★ (3) thin reviews wp.org #18 5 too high 24

Airworthy – PHP Compatibility & Upgrade Checker 300+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews wp.org #17 7 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.