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← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “profile master”

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 “profile master”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.

Ranked above its merit

Coming Soon Maintenance Mode shows at wp.org #8 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 14 places. Its 6K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.7★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

miniOrange OTP Login, Verification and SMS Notifications places #9 on merit, 4.7★ from 439 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 Master Addons for Elementor – Elementor Addons, Widgets, Mega Menu Builder, Popup Builder, Widget Builder & Template Kits 30K+ · 4.5★ (212) wp.org #2 ↓1 1 too low 2 UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8709) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 Notification Master – Real-Time WordPress Notifications With Email, SMS, Webhooks & More 1K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #1 ↑1 2 too high 4 Redux Framework 900K+ · 4.4★ (273) wp.org #5 ↓1 1 too low 5 Two Factor 100K+ · 4.7★ (209) wp.org #9 4 too low 6 WP Umbrella: Security Backup Restore & Monitoring 90K+ · 4.8★ (81) wp.org #7 1 too low 7 wpDataTables – WordPress Data Table, Dynamic Tables & Table Charts Plugin 60K+ · 4.5★ (449) wp.org #10 3 too low 8 PrettyLinks – Affiliate Link Management, URL Shortener, Link Cloaking, Tracking & Branded Short Links 200K+ · 4.8★ (1322) wp.org #17 ↓5 9 too low 9 miniOrange OTP Login, Verification and SMS Notifications 5K+ · 4.7★ (439) wp.org #19 10 too low 10 Waymark 900+ · 5.0★ (54) wp.org #15 5 too low 11 Advanced Views – Display Framework – Gutenberg/Elementor/Shortcode 2K+ · 4.8★ (36) wp.org #12 ↑4 1 too low 12 Edit Author Slug 100K+ · 4.8★ (84) wp.org #20 ↓2 8 too low 13 WPBot – AI ChatBot for Live Support, Lead Generation, WordPress Automation, AI Services 5K+ · 4.7★ (124) wp.org #23 10 too low 14 Zoho Flow – No-Code Workflow Automation 5K+ · 5.0★ (13) wp.org #11 ↑9 3 too high 15 W WPB Social Master 40+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #4 ↑1 11 too high 16 BWD Elementor Addons 400+ · 5.0★ (25) wp.org #18 ↓1 2 too low 17 DietPress 2K+ · 5.0★ (38) wp.org #22 ↓1 5 too low 18 ArchiveMaster – Auto Archive and Export Old Orders for WooCommerce 100+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #6 12 too high 19 WP Directory Kit 2K+ · 4.9★ (35) wp.org #24 5 too low 20 Next Active Directory Integration 2K+ · 4.8★ (16) wp.org #16 ↓1 4 too high 21 Easy PHP Settings 1K+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #14 ↓1 7 too high 22 Coming Soon Maintenance Mode 6K+ · 4.7★ (3) wp.org #8 14 too high 23 VK All in One Expansion Unit 100K+ · 4.0★ (7) wp.org #13 ↓2 10 too high 24 UltraAddons for Elementor 600+ · 4.5★ (4) wp.org #21 ↑1 3 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.