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

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 generator”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 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

WPS Child Theme Generator shows at wp.org #4 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 14 places. Its 6K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 2 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 #8 on merit, 4.8★ from 3236 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 All in One SEO – AI SEO Plugin to Boost SEO Rankings & Traffic (Schema, Local SEO, Sitemap & SEO Insights) 2M+ · 4.7★ (5231) wp.org #3 2 too low 2 Kaya QR Code Generator 10K+ · 4.4★ (38) wp.org #2 3 Simply Static – The Static Site Generator 30K+ · 4.5★ (195) wp.org #8 ↓1 5 too low 4 Bulk Page Generator and Mass Page Builder – Page Generator 3K+ · 4.6★ (70) wp.org #5 ↑1 1 too low 5 AI Puffer – AI Chatbot & MCP Server for Claude and ChatGPT 10K+ · 4.6★ (166) wp.org #11 6 too low 6 Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423) wp.org #18 ↑1 12 too low 7 WPCode – Insert Headers and Footers + Custom Code Snippets – WordPress Code Manager 3M+ · 4.9★ (1916) wp.org #20 13 too low 8 CookieYes – Cookie Banner for Cookie Consent (Easy to setup GDPR/CCPA Compliant Cookie Notice) 1M+ · 4.8★ (3236) wp.org #22 14 too low 9 Product SKU Generator for WooCommerce 8K+ · 4.9★ (20) wp.org #9 10 Sitemap Generator 3K+ · 3.7★ (23) wp.org #7 ↑1 3 too high 11 TermsFeed AutoTerms: Privacy Policy Generator, Cookie Consent, GDPR, CCPA, Terms & Conditions, Disclaimers, Cookies Policy, EULA 70K+ · 4.7★ (246) wp.org #24 13 too low 12 AI Alt Text Generator 2K+ · 4.9★ (7) wp.org #6 ↓2 6 too high 13 Remove Meta Generators 1K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #1 12 too high 14 Meta Generator and Version Info Remover 10K+ · 5.0★ (28) wp.org #15 1 too low 15 Serial Codes Generator and Validator with WooCommerce Support 700+ · 4.6★ (13) wp.org #10 5 too high 16 Unbloater 5K+ · 5.0★ (17) wp.org #16 17 Featured Image Generator 1K+ · 4.6★ (11) wp.org #14 3 too high 18 WPS Child Theme Generator 6K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #4 ↑1 14 too high 19 Staatic – Static Site Generator for WordPress 3K+ · 4.4★ (21) wp.org #23 4 too low 20 Security Header Generator 400+ · 4.9★ (7) wp.org #13 7 too high 21 AI Auto Post & Image Generator 200+ · 4.8★ (4) wp.org #19 ↓1 2 too high 22 Auto LLMS (.txt) Generator 300+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #12 10 too high 23 R Remove WordPress Version – Hide Generator Meta Tag 30+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #17 6 too high 24 CodingBunny LLMs.txt Generator 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #21 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.