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

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 upgrade”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 16 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

CompatNav – PHP Upgrade Checker shows at wp.org #4 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 18 places. Its 200+ 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

Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) places #10 on merit, 4.9★ from 8869 reviews, but shows at wp.org #23. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Woody Code Snippets – Insert PHP, CSS, JS, and Header/Footer Scripts 50K+ · 4.5★ (221) wp.org #1 2 WPCode – Insert Headers and Footers + Custom Code Snippets – WordPress Code Manager 3M+ · 4.9★ (1915) wp.org #6 4 too low 3 All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720) wp.org #8 ↓1 5 too low 4 Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2143) wp.org #10 6 too low 5 WP STAGING – Backups & Restore, Migration & Clone Plugin – Cloud Backups, Scheduled Backups 100K+ · 4.8★ (2470) wp.org #13 ↑4 8 too low 6 Native PHP Sessions 10K+ · 4.9★ (16) wp.org #5 1 too high 7 Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) 2M+ · 4.5★ (1440) wp.org #9 ↓1 2 too low 8 Admin Columns 100K+ · 4.9★ (1652) wp.org #19 ↓4 11 too low 9 Easy PHP Settings 1K+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #3 ↑1 6 too high 10 Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) 3M+ · 4.9★ (8869) wp.org #23 13 too low 11 Duplicator – Backups & Migration Plugin – Cloud Backups, Scheduled Backups, & More 1M+ · 4.9★ (4940) wp.org #14 3 too low 12 Easy Updates Manager 300K+ · 4.8★ (726) wp.org #24 ↓1 12 too low 13 Post SMTP – Complete Email Delivery and SMTP Solution with Email Logs, Alerts, Backup SMTP & Mobile App 300K+ · 4.7★ (528) wp.org #22 ↓6 9 too low 14 Product Feed Manager for WooCommerce – CTX Feed – Support 220+ Shopping, AI & Social Channels 90K+ · 4.6★ (838) wp.org #16 ↑2 2 too low 15 Lightbox with PhotoSwipe 20K+ · 4.9★ (115) wp.org #21 ↓9 6 too low 16 Duplicate Page 3M+ · 4.8★ (466) wp.org #20 4 too low 17 Eli's PHP Compatibility Scanner 1K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #2 ↑1 15 too high 18 Version Info – Server Health Monitor, PHP & MySQL Version Display, Environment Indicators 10K+ · 5.0★ (15) wp.org #11 ↓2 7 too high 19 Plugin Compatibility Checker 9K+ · 4.2★ (12) wp.org #7 12 too high 20 WooCommerce PayPal Payments 800K+ · 2.9★ (583) wp.org #17 3 too high 21 phpinfo() WP – Site Health, PHP Compatibility & Server Audit 3K+ · 4.5★ (8) wp.org #15 ↓2 6 too high 22 CompatNav – PHP Upgrade Checker 200+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #4 ↑7 18 too high 23 Add Custom Codes – Insert Header, Footer, Custom PHP Snippets, CSS, Javascript 1K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #18 ↑1 5 too high 24 Airworthy – PHP Compatibility & Upgrade Checker 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #12 12 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.