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

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 “redesign”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 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

Simple Maintenance Mode White Screen shows at wp.org #10 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 14 places. Its 100+ 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

404 to 301 – Redirect Manager, 301 Redirection, 404 Error Logs & 404 Monitoring places #5 on merit, 4.7★ from 321 reviews, but shows at wp.org #11. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 GiveWP – Donation Plugin and Fundraising Platform 100K+ · 4.6★ (708) wp.org #1 2 SEO Redirection Plugin – 301 Redirect Manager 10K+ · 4.3★ (73) wp.org #2 ↑2 3 UsersWP – Front-end login form, User Registration, User Profile & Members Directory plugin for WP 20K+ · 4.7★ (183) wp.org #3 ↓1 4 BrikPanel: WooCommerce Dashboard & Analytics, Abandoned Cart Recovery, Order Export, Inventory Management & Bulk Editor 1K+ · 5.0★ (55) wp.org #5 1 too low 5 404 to 301 – Redirect Manager, 301 Redirection, 404 Error Logs & 404 Monitoring 100K+ · 4.7★ (321) wp.org #11 6 too low 6 Responsive Mortgage Calculator 7K+ · 4.4★ (21) wp.org #7 ↓1 1 too low 7 Templateberg – Gutenberg Templates, WordPress Themes Template Kits & WordPress Templates 6K+ · 4.3★ (6) wp.org #4 ↓1 3 too high 8 Advanced Floating Content Lite 7K+ · 4.1★ (30) wp.org #8 ↓1 9 YITH WooCommerce Ajax Product Filter 70K+ · 3.5★ (98) wp.org #9 ↓1 10 MailerPress – Email Marketing, Newsletter, Email Automation & WooCommerce Emails 1K+ · 5.0★ (17) wp.org #12 2 too low 11 Branda – White Label & Branding, Free Login Page Customizer 10K+ · 4.5★ (30) wp.org #22 ↓10 11 too low 12 Media Hygiene: Remove or Delete Unused Images and More! 4K+ · 4.2★ (41) wp.org #23 ↓3 11 too low 13 KiviCare – Clinic & Patient Management System (EHR) 1K+ · 3.6★ (23) wp.org #14 ↓1 1 too low 14 Smart Grid-Layout Design for Contact Form 7 10K+ · 4.5★ (72) wp.org #24 ↓3 10 too low 15 Post Type Transfer 2K+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #18 ↑5 3 too low 16 Build Mode – Maintenance Mode & Coming Soon Page 200+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #16 17 Customize My Account for WooCommerce – Custom Tabs, Login, Registration, 2FA & Design 900+ · 3.4★ (5) wp.org #6 ↑3 11 too high 18 Maintenance Mode Made Easy 200+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #20 ↑2 2 too low 19 Loginfy – Custom Login Page Customizer 2K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #21 ↓2 2 too low 20 Tr Options Migrator for ACF (Export & Import ACF Options Data) 60+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #15 ↑3 5 too high 21 WP Before After Image Slider – Interactive Image and Video Comparison Plugin for WordPress 1K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #19 ↓2 2 too high 22 Bosa Starter Sites 30K+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #13 ↑1 9 too high 23 ST Elementor Addons 500+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #17 ↓2 6 too high 24 Simple Maintenance Mode White Screen 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #10 14 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.