Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

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

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 “remember”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 of the top 20. 3 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

Init Reading Position – Remember, Return, Continue shows at wp.org #4 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 20 places. Its 80+ 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

CookieYes – Cookie Banner for Cookie Consent (Easy to setup GDPR/CCPA Compliant Cookie Notice) places #7 on merit, 4.8★ from 3236 reviews, but shows at wp.org #17. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5038) wp.org #1 2 Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (397) wp.org #3 ↑2 1 too low 3 Temporary Login Without Password 90K+ · 5.0★ (1549) wp.org #5 ↑2 2 too low 4 Converter for Media – Optimize images | Convert WebP & AVIF 500K+ · 4.9★ (1106) wp.org #6 ↓3 2 too low 5 WP Reset 300K+ · 4.8★ (1014) wp.org #7 ↓1 2 too low 6 WPS Hide Login 2M+ · 4.8★ (2111) wp.org #9 ↑1 3 too low 7 CookieYes – Cookie Banner for Cookie Consent (Easy to setup GDPR/CCPA Compliant Cookie Notice) 1M+ · 4.8★ (3236) wp.org #17 ↓3 10 too low 8 Lightbox for Gallery & Image Block 20K+ · 5.0★ (88) wp.org #13 5 too low 9 Real-Time Find and Replace 70K+ · 4.5★ (82) wp.org #12 3 too low 10 Table of Contents Plus – Automatic Table of Contents for Posts & Pages 200K+ · 4.5★ (187) wp.org #16 ↑4 6 too low 11 Age Gate 40K+ · 4.6★ (64) wp.org #15 ↑1 4 too low 12 Always Remember Me 400+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #2 10 too high 13 GA Google Analytics – Connect Google Analytics to WordPress 400K+ · 4.9★ (158) wp.org #22 ↓1 9 too low 14 Affiliate Program Suite — SliceWP Affiliates 10K+ · 4.9★ (111) wp.org #23 9 too low 15 Back In Stock Notifier for WooCommerce | WooCommerce Waitlist Pro 20K+ · 4.7★ (122) wp.org #14 ↑3 1 too high 16 WP Login Form 7K+ · 4.6★ (13) wp.org #8 8 too high 17 Flexible SSL for CloudFlare 100K+ · 4.8★ (51) wp.org #19 ↓4 2 too low 18 Remove Category URL – Remove ‘category’ base from category permalinks 40K+ · 4.3★ (61) wp.org #20 ↓2 2 too low 19 Persistent Login 5K+ · 3.9★ (26) wp.org #11 8 too high 20 WPML Multilingual for BuddyPress and BuddyBoss 6K+ · 4.6★ (37) wp.org #24 4 too low 21 Teydea Login Customizer – Custom Login Page, Branding & Styling 10K+ · 4.8★ (14) wp.org #18 ↓7 3 too high 22 Remember Me Controls 4K+ · 4.3★ (7) wp.org #10 ↓1 12 too high 23 Classic Editor and Classic Widgets 20K+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #21 ↓2 2 too high 24 Init Reading Position – Remember, Return, Continue 80+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #4 20 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.