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← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “redirect chains”

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 “redirect chains”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 16 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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.

Ranked above its merit

Link Diagnostics – Broken Links, Redirects, and Link Insights shows at wp.org #7 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 50+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Auto-Install Free SSL – Generate & Install Free SSL Certificates places #8 on merit, 4.9★ from 405 reviews, but shows at wp.org #22. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 WP Encryption: Easy HTTPS / SSL & Free SSL certificate, HTTPS redirect 50K+ · 4.9★ (1146) wp.org #2 1 too low 2 Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) 3M+ · 4.9★ (8869) wp.org #9 7 too low 3 Better Find and Replace – AI-Powered Suggestions 40K+ · 4.6★ (171) wp.org #8 5 too low 4 Modula Image Gallery – Photo Grid & Video Gallery 100K+ · 4.7★ (616) wp.org #13 ↑6 9 too low 5 Broken Link Checker by AIOSEO – Find & Fix Broken Internal, External & Video Links 200K+ · 3.8★ (87) wp.org #6 ↓1 1 too low 6 404 Solution 10K+ · 4.9★ (44) wp.org #10 4 too low 7 Query Monitor 200K+ · 4.9★ (470) wp.org #19 ↓6 12 too low 8 Auto-Install Free SSL – Generate & Install Free SSL Certificates 8K+ · 4.9★ (405) wp.org #22 ↓1 14 too low 9 Visibility – Lightweight SEO, AEO and GEO for Search and AI 600+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #5 ↑1 4 too high 10 DevDome Redirect Manager: Link Rotator, Geo Redirect & 302 Redirect 300+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #1 9 too high 11 Easy Appointment Booking & Scheduling Plugin – Webba Booking Calendar 2K+ · 4.9★ (159) wp.org #23 12 too low 12 WP Hotel Booking 7K+ · 3.7★ (67) wp.org #12 ↑2 13 WPGet API – Connect to any external REST API 10K+ · 5.0★ (32) wp.org #17 4 too low 14 Greek Multi Tool 1K+ · 4.6★ (9) wp.org #11 3 too high 15 Digi Eye Redirects 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #3 12 too high 16 Redirect Cleanup 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #4 12 too high 17 EthPress – Web3 Login 90+ · 4.6★ (11) wp.org #24 7 too low 18 Web3 Crypto Payments by DePay for WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.0★ (12) wp.org #20 ↓2 2 too low 19 Romeo Redirect Manager — · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #14 ↑1 5 too high 20 Link Diagnostics – Broken Links, Redirects, and Link Insights 50+ · 4.0★ (2) wp.org #7 13 too high 21 Multi CryptoCurrency Payments 400+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #16 ↑4 5 too high 22 redigo-url-redirect-manager — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #18 ↑5 4 too high 23 TSO Link Inspector 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 ↑1 2 too high 24 KOMOJU Payments 1K+ · 3.0★ (2) wp.org #15 ↑1 9 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.