Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “remove archive”

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 “remove archive”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 16 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

Hide Author Archive shows at wp.org #4 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 16 places. Its 500+ 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

WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance places #7 on merit, 4.8★ from 2617 reviews, but shows at wp.org #20. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Smart Archive Page Remove 6K+ · 4.9★ (59) wp.org #1 2 Remove Category URL – Remove ‘category’ base from category permalinks 40K+ · 4.3★ (61) wp.org #3 ↓1 1 too low 3 Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423) wp.org #8 ↓1 5 too low 4 Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7519) wp.org #11 ↓3 7 too low 5 JS Archive List 3K+ · 4.8★ (45) wp.org #6 ↓3 1 too low 6 Archive Content with Archived Post Status 5K+ · 4.9★ (36) wp.org #10 ↑3 4 too low 7 WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance 1M+ · 4.8★ (2617) wp.org #20 ↓3 13 too low 8 Variation Swatches for WooCommerce 300K+ · 4.8★ (926) wp.org #14 6 too low 9 The SEO Framework – Fast, Automated, Effortless. 200K+ · 4.9★ (380) wp.org #17 8 too low 10 D Disable Author Archives 10K+ · 4.4★ (7) wp.org #5 ↓1 5 too high 11 GenerateBlocks 200K+ · 4.9★ (122) wp.org #23 12 too low 12 Post Types Order 600K+ · 4.5★ (296) wp.org #24 ↓2 12 too low 13 BackWPup – WordPress Backup & Restore Plugin 400K+ · 4.0★ (1323) wp.org #22 9 too low 14 Archive Title 1K+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #7 ↓2 7 too high 15 Custom Query Blocks 700+ · 4.6★ (25) wp.org #15 ↓3 16 Remove SKU From Single Product page 1K+ · 4.5★ (8) wp.org #9 ↓3 7 too high 17 Hide Archive Label 900+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #2 ↓1 15 too high 18 E Expanding Archives 3K+ · 4.7★ (6) wp.org #12 ↓3 6 too high 19 MMWD Remove Add To Cart for WooCommerce 3K+ · 4.9★ (13) wp.org #16 ↓5 3 too high 20 Hide Author Archive 500+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #4 16 too high 21 ArchiveMaster – Auto Archive and Export Old Orders for WooCommerce 100+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #13 ↓3 8 too high 22 ShieldClimb – Remove Hentry and Hatom 60+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #19 ↑1 3 too high 23 P PTAPS – Post Type Archive Pages and Permalink Settings 80+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #18 ↓2 5 too high 24 Checkout & Store Toolkit for WooCommerce 800+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #21 ↓2 3 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.