Plugin Pulse
← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “prerender”

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 “prerender”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 16 of the top 20. 2 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

Instant Back/Forward shows at wp.org #5 but places #13 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 10K+ 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

WP Statistics – Simple, privacy-friendly Google Analytics alternative places #4 on merit, 4.1★ from 757 reviews, but shows at wp.org #13. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Speculative Loading 70K+ · 5.0★ (18) wp.org #1 2 Jetpack Boost – Website Speed, Performance and Critical CSS 200K+ · 4.7★ (607) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 Oxyplug Prefetch & Prerender 100+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #2 1 too high 4 WP Statistics – Simple, privacy-friendly Google Analytics alternative 600K+ · 4.1★ (757) wp.org #13 9 too low 5 Easy Optimizer – PageSpeed, Cache & Core Web Vitals (Unused CSS, Delay JS, Lazy Load) 900+ · 4.6★ (16) wp.org #6 1 too low 6 WebberZone Top 10 — Popular Posts 10K+ · 4.6★ (101) wp.org #15 ↑1 9 too low 7 BerqWP – All-In-One Optimization for Core Web Vitals, Cache, CDN, Images, CSS & JavaScript 4K+ · 4.2★ (52) wp.org #16 ↑1 9 too low 8 ezCache 10K+ · 4.6★ (5) wp.org #4 4 too high 9 RDP Wiki Embed 300+ · 5.0★ (12) wp.org #21 ↑1 12 too low 10 Site Search 360 400+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #17 ↑1 7 too low 11 The Off Switch (formerly WP Avoid Slow) 100+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #20 ↑1 9 too low 12 StaticBolt – Selective Static Pages — · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #8 4 too high 13 Instant Back/Forward 10K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #5 8 too high 14 Capo – Head Optimizer 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #7 7 too high 15 WP Blast | SEO & Performance Booster 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #9 6 too high 16 Speculative Page Loader – Prefetch and Prerender — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #10 6 too high 17 Weblix Analytics – Real-Time Stats & Visitor Counter 70+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #11 6 too high 18 XO Magic Box Light — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #14 4 too high 19 PerfLocale — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #12 7 too high 20 Markdown Renderer for GitHub 30+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 ↑2 2 too low 21 Swirv — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #24 3 too low 22 365i Performance Optimizer — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #19 ↑1 3 too high 23 Prerender Plugin 70+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 24 International SEO by Transifex 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #18 ↑1 6 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.