wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “redirect plugin”
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 plugin”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 6 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 Page Redirect shows at wp.org #12 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 10K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 8 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
SEOPress – AI SEO Plugin & On-site SEO places #12 on merit, 4.8★ from 1267 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.
All in One SEO – AI SEO Plugin to Boost SEO Rankings & Traffic (Schema, Local SEO, Sitemap & SEO Insights) 2M+ · 4.7★ (5231) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #1 2 
301 Redirects – Redirect Manager 300K+ · 4.7★ (578)
wp.org #2 3 
LoginWP (Formerly Peter's Login Redirect) 80K+ · 4.8★ (503)
wp.org #3 ↑3 4 
Redirection 100K+ · 5.0★ (419)
wp.org #4 ↑4 5 
All 404 Redirect to Homepage 200K+ · 4.1★ (96)
wp.org #5 ↓2 6 
Safe Redirect Manager 40K+ · 4.7★ (78)
wp.org #6 ↓1 7 
Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1281)
wp.org #11 4 too low 8 
Redirection for Contact Form 7 200K+ · 4.7★ (275) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #7 ↑2 1 too high 9 
Payment Plugins for Stripe WooCommerce 100K+ · 4.8★ (303) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #8 ↓4 1 too high 10 
404 to 301 – Redirect Manager, 301 Redirection, 404 Error Logs & 404 Monitoring 100K+ · 4.7★ (321)
wp.org #14 ↓1 4 too low 11 
SEO Redirection Plugin – 301 Redirect Manager 10K+ · 4.3★ (73)
wp.org #9 ↑2 2 too high 12 SEOPress – AI SEO Plugin & On-site SEO 300K+ · 4.8★ (1267)
wp.org #22 10 too low 13 
BackWPup – WordPress Backup & Restore Plugin 400K+ · 4.0★ (1323) not PHP-current
wp.org #13 ↑3 14 
Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) heavy footprint
wp.org #19 5 too low 15 
Shortcode Redirect 10K+ · 4.3★ (31)
wp.org #10 5 too high 16 
Simple 301 Redirects by BetterLinks – Easy Redirect Manager 100K+ · 3.8★ (162)
wp.org #17 1 too low 17 
Sky Login Redirect 2K+ · 4.7★ (24) thin reviews
wp.org #15 ↓1 2 too high 18 
Maintenance & Coming Soon Redirect Animation 3K+ · 5.0★ (34)
wp.org #20 ↓2 2 too low 19 
Redirect 404 to Homepage 60K+ · 4.6★ (24) thin reviews
wp.org #18 ↑2 1 too high 20 Simple Page Redirect 10K+ · 5.0★ (8) thin reviews
wp.org #12 8 too high 21 
Plugin Check (PCP) 10K+ · 4.5★ (36)
wp.org #23 ↓2 2 too low 22 
Advanced 301 and 302 Redirect 1K+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #16 ↓1 6 too high 23 
WP Post Redirect 3K+ · 4.6★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #21 ↑1 2 too high 24 
Entryway – WP Login & Logout Redirect 6K+ · 4.8★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #24 ↓1 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.