wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “remove attachment comments”
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 attachment comments”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 of the top 20. 1 plugin is 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
Stop Media Comment Spamming shows at wp.org #8 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 14 places. Its 800+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.0★ average from 6 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Simple History – Track, Log, and Audit WordPress Changes places #8 on merit, 4.9★ from 491 reviews, but shows at wp.org #14. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Disable Comments 1M+ · 4.7★ (281)
wp.org #1 2 
Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423)
wp.org #4 ↓1 2 too low 3 
W3 Total Cache 900K+ · 4.4★ (5420)
wp.org #5 ↑5 2 too low 4 
Smart Attachment Page Remove 900+ · 4.7★ (13) thin reviews
wp.org #2 2 too high 5 
Relevanssi – A Better Search 100K+ · 4.8★ (406)
wp.org #7 ↓3 2 too low 6 
The SEO Framework – Fast, Automated, Effortless. 200K+ · 4.9★ (380) not PHP-current
wp.org #6 ↑12 7 
Media Library Assistant 70K+ · 4.8★ (202)
wp.org #10 ↑1 3 too low 8 Simple History – Track, Log, and Audit WordPress Changes 300K+ · 4.9★ (491)
wp.org #14 ↓1 6 too low 9 
Postie 10K+ · 4.7★ (139) not PHP-current
wp.org #9 ↓4 10 
Enable Media Replace 600K+ · 4.4★ (302)
wp.org #11 ↓4 1 too low 11 
Comment Link Remove and Other Comment Tools 8K+ · 4.1★ (15) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #3 ↓1 8 too high 12 
FakerPress 10K+ · 4.9★ (205)
wp.org #16 ↓4 4 too low 13 
WP Accessibility 60K+ · 4.8★ (68)
wp.org #12 ↑8 1 too high 14 
Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) 2M+ · 4.5★ (1440) heavy footprint
wp.org #19 ↑4 5 too low 15 
No Page Comment 10K+ · 5.0★ (22) thin reviews
wp.org #18 ↓4 3 too low 16 
WP EXtra – One Click Optimize 6K+ · 4.9★ (41)
wp.org #21 ↓5 5 too low 17 
Simple Membership 40K+ · 4.6★ (475) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #24 7 too low 18 
WP Coder – Insert & Manage Code Snippets 10K+ · 4.9★ (32)
wp.org #22 ↓5 4 too low 19 
WP Telegram Comments 100+ · 4.7★ (10) thin reviews
wp.org #13 ↓5 6 too high 20 
AI 60K+ · 4.2★ (10) thin reviews
wp.org #17 3 too high 21 
SpeedyCache – Cache, Optimization, Performance 500K+ · 4.4★ (30) host-installed base
wp.org #23 ↓2 2 too low 22 Stop Media Comment Spamming 800+ · 3.0★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #8 ↓2 14 too high 23 
Auto-Close Comments, Pingbacks and Trackbacks 200+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #20 ↓5 3 too high 24 
Webcam/Screen/Mic Recorder for Video Comments and Forms 50+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews
wp.org #15 ↓6 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.