wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “remove link”
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 link”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 of the top 20.
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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.
Ranked above its merit
Remove XML-RPC Methods shows at wp.org #17 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 5 places. Its 1K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings places #5 on merit, 4.8★ from 7520 reviews, but shows at wp.org #10. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Broken Link Checker 500K+ · 3.8★ (605)
wp.org #1 2 
Link Library 10K+ · 4.7★ (97)
wp.org #3 1 too low 3 
Comment Link Remove and Other Comment Tools 8K+ · 4.1★ (15) thin reviews
wp.org #2 1 too high 4 
Broken Link Checker by AIOSEO – Find & Fix Broken Internal, External & Video Links 200K+ · 3.8★ (87)
wp.org #4 5 Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7520)
wp.org #10 ↓2 5 too low 6 
Remove Category URL – Remove ‘category’ base from category permalinks 40K+ · 4.3★ (61)
wp.org #5 1 too high 7 
Smart Archive Page Remove 6K+ · 4.9★ (59)
wp.org #6 1 too high 8 
Link Whisper Free 30K+ · 4.2★ (151)
wp.org #8 ↓1 9 
Remove Dashboard Access 30K+ · 4.6★ (78)
wp.org #9 10 
Visual Link Preview 10K+ · 4.5★ (36)
wp.org #7 ↓1 3 too high 11 
ThirstyAffiliates – Affiliate Links, Link Branding, Link Tracking & Marketing Plugin 30K+ · 4.6★ (251)
wp.org #15 ↓1 4 too low 12 
Simple Link Directory – AI Powered 2K+ · 4.8★ (121)
wp.org #12 13 P Page Links To 100K+ · 4.9★ (157)
wp.org #22 ↓4 9 too low 14 
Link Juice Keeper 10K+ · 4.7★ (15) thin reviews
wp.org #11 ↓1 3 too high 15 D Debloat – Remove Unused CSS, Optimize JS 30K+ · 4.8★ (41)
wp.org #19 ↑2 4 too low 16 
Smart Attachment Page Remove 900+ · 4.7★ (13) thin reviews
wp.org #13 3 too high 17 
Broken Link Notifier 1K+ · 4.8★ (14) thin reviews
wp.org #14 ↓1 3 too high 18 
SMNTCS Custom Logo Link 2K+ · 5.0★ (12) thin reviews
wp.org #23 ↓6 5 too low 19 
Link Checker 4K+ · 3.2★ (30)
wp.org #16 ↓1 3 too high 20 
Remove Taxonomy URL 1K+ · 4.2★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #18 ↑1 2 too high 21 
WP Remove Query Strings From Static Resources 3K+ · 5.0★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #21 ↑1 22 Remove XML-RPC Methods 1K+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #17 ↓1 5 too high 23 
Remove Broken Images 700+ · 4.0★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #20 3 too high 24 
Extend Link 1K+ · 3.0★ (2) 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.