wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “projects manager”
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 “projects manager”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 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
Security.txt Manager shows at wp.org #14 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 700+ 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
Folders – Unlimited Folders to Organize Media Library Folder, Pages, Posts, File Manager places #6 on merit, 5.0★ from 1525 reviews, but shows at wp.org #10. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Download Manager 100K+ · 4.1★ (1006)
wp.org #1 2 
WP Job Manager 70K+ · 4.4★ (237)
wp.org #2 3 
Zephyr Project Manager 1K+ · 4.8★ (98)
wp.org #3 4 
Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2143)
wp.org #6 2 too low 5 
Project Manager – AI Powered Project Management, Task Management, Kanban Board & Time Tracker 5K+ · 3.8★ (187)
wp.org #4 1 too high 6 Folders – Unlimited Folders to Organize Media Library Folder, Pages, Posts, File Manager 90K+ · 5.0★ (1525)
wp.org #10 4 too low 7 
WPCode – Insert Headers and Footers + Custom Code Snippets – WordPress Code Manager 3M+ · 4.9★ (1916)
wp.org #9 2 too low 8 
FAZ Cookie Manager 3K+ · 5.0★ (30)
wp.org #5 3 too high 9 
FluentSnippets – High-Performance Code Snippets, Header & Footer Code, Custom CSS & PHP Code Manager 50K+ · 4.7★ (78)
wp.org #7 ↑1 2 too high 10 
User Access Manager 10K+ · 4.4★ (112)
wp.org #8 ↓1 2 too high 11 
Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1281)
wp.org #15 ↓1 4 too low 12 
301 Redirects – Redirect Manager 300K+ · 4.7★ (578)
wp.org #13 1 too low 13 
Debug Log Manager – Conveniently Monitor and Inspect Errors 10K+ · 5.0★ (25)
wp.org #12 1 too high 14 
Redirection 2M+ · 4.4★ (703)
wp.org #18 ↓2 4 too low 15 
Real Media Library: Media Library Folder & File Manager 100K+ · 4.8★ (297) not PHP-current
wp.org #20 ↓2 5 too low 16 
Quads Ads Manager for Google AdSense 20K+ · 4.9★ (1087) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #23 7 too low 17 
Block Manager 4K+ · 4.9★ (13) thin reviews
wp.org #11 6 too high 18 
E-cab Taxi Booking Manager for Woocommerce 2K+ · 4.9★ (28)
wp.org #19 ↑1 1 too low 19 
WP Club Manager – WordPress Sports Club Plugin 600+ · 4.7★ (40) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #17 ↑2 2 too high 20 
HTTP Requests Manager 1K+ · 5.0★ (8) thin reviews
wp.org #16 ↑1 4 too high 21 
UpStream: a Project Management Plugin for WordPress 500+ · 4.2★ (74) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #24 3 too low 22 
Revision Manager TMC 1K+ · 4.9★ (10) thin reviews
wp.org #22 ↓1 23 
Manager for IcoMoon 400+ · 5.0★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #21 ↑1 2 too high 24 Security.txt Manager 700+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #14 ↑1 10 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.