wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “plugin delete”
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 “plugin delete”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 7 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
Delete All Products for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #14 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 4K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 7 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
BackWPup – WordPress Backup & Restore Plugin places #12 on merit, 4.0★ from 1323 reviews, but shows at wp.org #16. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Widgets for Google Reviews 1M+ · 4.9★ (2667)
wp.org #1 2 
UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8709)
wp.org #3 1 too low 3 
WP Bulk Delete 90K+ · 4.6★ (131)
wp.org #2 1 too high 4 
Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5040)
wp.org #6 2 too low 5 
Bulk Delete 30K+ · 4.3★ (129)
wp.org #4 1 too high 6 
Delete Duplicate Posts 10K+ · 4.8★ (153)
wp.org #5 1 too high 7 
Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1281)
wp.org #8 1 too low 8 
Business Directory Plugin – Easy Listing & Member Directories for WordPress 10K+ · 4.6★ (504)
wp.org #7 1 too high 9 
Duplicate Post 300K+ · 4.9★ (1623)
wp.org #9 10 
WP Fastest Cache – WordPress Cache Plugin 1M+ · 4.9★ (4229)
wp.org #10 11 
WP Comment Cleaner – Delete All Comments, Disable Comments, Bulk Delete & Remove Comments 20K+ · 4.7★ (58)
wp.org #11 12 BackWPup – WordPress Backup & Restore Plugin 400K+ · 4.0★ (1323)
wp.org #16 4 too low 13 
Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (397)
wp.org #19 6 too low 14 
Simple Revisions Delete 10K+ · 4.9★ (50)
wp.org #13 1 too high 15 
GiveWP – Donation Plugin and Fundraising Platform 100K+ · 4.6★ (708)
wp.org #23 8 too low 16 
FluentSMTP – WP Mail SMTP Plugin with Amazon SES, SendGrid, Mailgun, Postmark, Cloudflare, toSend, Gmail and Any SMTP 700K+ · 4.8★ (410)
wp.org #24 8 too low 17 
Plugin Notes Plus 9K+ · 5.0★ (62)
wp.org #20 3 too low 18 
Delete Expired Transients 4K+ · 5.0★ (13) thin reviews
wp.org #12 6 too high 19 
Security Optimizer – The All-In-One Protection Plugin 1M+ · 4.5★ (157)
wp.org #21 2 too low 20 
WP Frontend Delete Account 4K+ · 4.6★ (27)
wp.org #18 2 too high 21 
DX Delete Attached Media 3K+ · 4.9★ (28)
wp.org #22 1 too low 22 Delete All Products for WooCommerce 4K+ · 5.0★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #14 8 too high 23 
Bulk Delete Comments 5K+ · 3.8★ (13) thin reviews
wp.org #15 8 too high 24 
Auto Delete Post – Ultimate plugin for deleting a post automatically 300+ · 5.0★ (7) 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.