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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “plugin downloader”

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 downloader”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 14 of the top 20. 1 plugin is 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.

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Ranked above its merit

Pixabay Media Downloader shows at wp.org #6 but places #12 on merit, a gap of 6 places. Its 100+ 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

Infinity23 (Formerly Tag Manager) – One Plugin That Replaces All The Rest places #4 on merit, 4.7★ from 53 reviews, but shows at wp.org #11. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 BackWPup – WordPress Backup & Restore Plugin 400K+ · 4.0★ (1323) wp.org #3 ↑1 2 too low 2 Media Library Downloader 5K+ · 4.8★ (8) wp.org #1 1 too high 3 WP Travel Engine – Tour Booking Plugin – Tour Operator Software 20K+ · 4.9★ (594) wp.org #9 6 too low 4 Infinity23 (Formerly Tag Manager) – One Plugin That Replaces All The Rest 20K+ · 4.7★ (53) wp.org #11 7 too low 5 WP EXtra – One Click Optimize 6K+ · 4.9★ (41) wp.org #14 9 too low 6 EZ Downloader – Plugin & Theme 90+ · 5.0★ (9) wp.org #7 ↑1 1 too low 7 WP Anything Downloader 3K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #2 5 too high 8 Shared Files – File Upload & Download Manager 4K+ · 4.4★ (34) wp.org #20 12 too low 9 KP Zip Downloader 1K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #4 ↓1 5 too high 10 Media Downloader 80+ · 4.3★ (4) wp.org #5 5 too high 11 Post Export Import with Media 1K+ · 4.5★ (8) wp.org #19 8 too low 12 P Pixabay Media Downloader 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #6 6 too high 13 Bible SuperSearch 300+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #13 14 BF Secret File Downloader 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #8 ↓1 6 too high 15 Theme & Extension Downloader 90+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #10 5 too high 16 Blogger Import Wizard – Blogger to WordPress Importer 80+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #17 ↑1 1 too low 17 Transfer Press – The Ultimate WordPress Plugin Zip Downloader, Activator 50+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #12 5 too high 18 Nizbay Asset Downloader — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #16 2 too high 19 Downloadify WP 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #15 4 too high 20 Monster Downloader 50+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 1 too low 21 PDF Zip Downloader for Gravity Forms 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #18 ↓1 3 too high 22 Pure Demo Importer 60+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #24 2 too low 23 Database Backup Manager — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #22 1 too high 24 Magic robots.txt 1K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #23 1 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.