Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “private document”

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 “private document”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 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 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

Document Engine – Document Library, PDF Viewer & Post to PDF shows at wp.org #7 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 100+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Big File Uploads – Increase Maximum File Upload Size places #10 on merit, 4.9★ from 402 reviews, but shows at wp.org #21. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 User Private Files – Secure File Sharing and Client Portal Plugin 1K+ · 4.4★ (57) wp.org #1 ↑1 2 Advanced File Manager – Ultimate File Manager for WordPress And Document Library Solution 100K+ · 4.8★ (441) wp.org #4 ↑1 2 too low 3 Better Messages – Chat Rooms, Group Chat, Private Messages & AI Chat Bots 10K+ · 4.8★ (142) wp.org #5 ↓1 2 too low 4 Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ · 4.7★ (1668) wp.org #6 ↑1 2 too low 5 Document Library Lite 4K+ · 4.1★ (12) wp.org #2 ↓1 3 too high 6 WP Document Revisions 2K+ · 3.7★ (23) wp.org #3 3 too high 7 Download Manager 100K+ · 4.1★ (1006) wp.org #11 ↓1 4 too low 8 Prevent Direct Access – Protect WordPress Files 10K+ · 4.6★ (297) wp.org #12 4 too low 9 EmbedPress 100K+ · 4.8★ (307) wp.org #10 ↑1 1 too low 10 Big File Uploads – Increase Maximum File Upload Size 100K+ · 4.9★ (402) wp.org #21 ↑1 11 too low 11 B BuddyPress Docs 6K+ · 4.4★ (35) wp.org #9 2 too high 12 weDocs: AI Powered Knowledge Base, Docs, Documentation, Wiki & AI Chatbot 5K+ · 4.6★ (69) wp.org #15 ↑1 3 too low 13 E2Pdf – Export Pdf Tool for WordPress 10K+ · 4.7★ (59) wp.org #14 1 too low 14 PDF Poster – Let visitors read PDF’s without leaving the page 20K+ · 4.5★ (149) wp.org #24 ↓4 10 too low 15 ElasticPress 8K+ · 4.2★ (30) wp.org #17 2 too low 16 FileDeck – Document Library & Download Manager 100+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #8 8 too high 17 MxChat – AI Chatbot & Content Generation for WordPress 2K+ · 5.0★ (31) wp.org #23 6 too low 18 B BP Group Documents 600+ · 5.0★ (15) wp.org #18 19 Document Engine – Document Library, PDF Viewer & Post to PDF 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #7 ↓1 12 too high 20 PixelVault – Media Library Folders, Document Library & File Manager 200+ · 4.0★ (4) wp.org #13 7 too high 21 Mikesoft TeamVault 40+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #16 ↓1 5 too high 22 Kistenstein Club Document Portal 30+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 ↑1 2 too high 23 BF Secret File Downloader 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 ↑2 1 too high 24 DriveHub – Google Drive Integration | File Manager, Image Gallery & Media Library 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #19 5 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.