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

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 modify date”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 6 of the top 20. 6 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

WP Plugin Manager – Deactivate plugins per page shows at wp.org #7 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 3K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.4★ average from 23 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI places #10 on merit, 4.8★ from 27821 reviews, but shows at wp.org #18. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8708) wp.org #1 2 WooCommerce 7M+ · 4.5★ (4833) wp.org #2 3 WP Fastest Cache – WordPress Cache Plugin 1M+ · 4.9★ (4228) wp.org #4 1 too low 4 WP Date and Time Shortcode 10K+ · 4.9★ (31) wp.org #3 1 too high 5 Security Optimizer – The All-In-One Protection Plugin 1M+ · 4.5★ (157) wp.org #5 6 Speed Optimizer – The All-In-One Performance-Boosting Plugin 1M+ · 4.2★ (641) wp.org #6 7 Independent Analytics – WordPress Analytics Plugin 100K+ · 4.8★ (167) wp.org #8 1 too low 8 GeoDirectory – WP Business Directory Plugin and Classified Listings Directory 10K+ · 4.8★ (716) wp.org #9 1 too low 9 WP Rollback – Rollback Plugins and Themes 200K+ · 4.9★ (215) wp.org #11 2 too low 10 Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI 10M+ · 4.8★ (27821) wp.org #18 8 too low 11 Delivery & Pickup Date Time for WooCommerce 5K+ · 4.9★ (282) wp.org #10 1 too high 12 PDF Invoices & Packing Slips for WooCommerce 300K+ · 5.0★ (1865) wp.org #16 4 too low 13 Ultimate FAQ Accordion Plugin 30K+ · 4.6★ (439) wp.org #13 14 Five Star Restaurant Reservations – WordPress Booking Plugin 10K+ · 4.7★ (211) wp.org #12 2 too high 15 Content Aware Sidebars – Fastest Widget Area Plugin 30K+ · 4.9★ (724) wp.org #20 5 too low 16 Custom Post Type UI 1M+ · 4.6★ (276) wp.org #17 1 too low 17 NinjaFirewall (WP Edition) – Advanced Security Plugin and Firewall 100K+ · 4.9★ (220) wp.org #15 2 too high 18 WP Plugin Manager – Deactivate plugins per page 3K+ · 4.4★ (23) wp.org #7 11 too high 19 Search Regex 100K+ · 4.7★ (101) wp.org #22 3 too low 20 Coupon Affiliates – Affiliate Plugin for WooCommerce 5K+ · 4.9★ (77) wp.org #14 6 too high 21 Events Manager – Calendar, Bookings, Tickets, Appointments and more! 60K+ · 4.2★ (551) wp.org #21 22 Secure Gateway for Authorize.net and WooCommerce by Pledged Plugins 10K+ · 4.9★ (34) wp.org #24 2 too low 23 Vendi Abandoned Plugin Check 1K+ · 4.1★ (10) wp.org #19 4 too high 24 Membership Plugin – Kadence Memberships 8K+ · 3.1★ (100) 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.