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

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 update”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 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.

Ranked above its merit

Ignore Or Disable Plugin Update shows at wp.org #15 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 200+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal places #12 on merit, 4.8★ from 397 reviews, but shows at wp.org #19. 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★ (8706) wp.org #1 2 Widgets for Google Reviews 1M+ · 4.9★ (2667) wp.org #2 3 Easy Updates Manager 300K+ · 4.8★ (726) wp.org #4 ↓1 1 too low 4 Duplicator – Backups & Migration Plugin – Cloud Backups, Scheduled Backups, & More 1M+ · 4.9★ (4940) wp.org #5 ↓1 1 too low 5 WP STAGING – Backups & Restore, Migration & Clone Plugin – Cloud Backups, Scheduled Backups 100K+ · 4.8★ (2470) wp.org #10 ↓1 5 too low 6 Block Plugin Update 5K+ · 4.4★ (19) wp.org #3 ↓1 3 too high 7 BackWPup – WordPress Backup & Restore Plugin 400K+ · 4.0★ (1323) wp.org #7 8 Business Directory Plugin – Easy Listing & Member Directories for WordPress 10K+ · 4.6★ (504) wp.org #12 ↑3 4 too low 9 Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1281) wp.org #14 ↑3 5 too low 10 Payment Plugins for Stripe WooCommerce 100K+ · 4.8★ (303) wp.org #9 ↓1 1 too high 11 Disable WordPress Update Notifications and auto-update Email Notifications 10K+ · 4.2★ (19) wp.org #6 5 too high 12 Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (397) wp.org #19 7 too low 13 Go Live Update Urls 90K+ · 4.5★ (59) wp.org #11 ↓1 2 too high 14 Download Plugin 60K+ · 4.5★ (27) wp.org #8 ↓3 6 too high 15 Companion Auto Update 40K+ · 4.8★ (105) wp.org #16 ↓2 1 too low 16 All in One SEO – AI SEO Plugin to Boost SEO Rankings & Traffic (Schema, Local SEO, Sitemap & SEO Insights) 2M+ · 4.7★ (5231) wp.org #17 ↓5 1 too low 17 Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) wp.org #21 ↓1 4 too low 18 GiveWP – Donation Plugin and Fundraising Platform 100K+ · 4.6★ (708) wp.org #22 ↓6 4 too low 19 Plugin Organizer 10K+ · 4.7★ (227) wp.org #24 ↓2 5 too low 20 U Update Control 4K+ · 4.4★ (17) wp.org #18 2 too high 21 Disable Updates for WordPress Core, Plugins and Themes 9K+ · 4.8★ (4) wp.org #13 ↓2 8 too high 22 Content Update Scheduler 2K+ · 4.3★ (12) wp.org #20 2 too high 23 Auto Update Post Date 2K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #23 ↓2 24 Ignore Or Disable Plugin Update 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #15 ↓2 9 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.