wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “remove plugins update”
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 plugins update”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 7 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
Remove "Powered by WordPress" shows at wp.org #14 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 6 places. Its 20K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.4★ average from 21 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8706)
wp.org #1 2 
Payment Plugins for Stripe WooCommerce 100K+ · 4.8★ (303) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #2 3 
Easy Updates Manager 300K+ · 4.8★ (726)
wp.org #5 2 too low 4 
Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1281)
wp.org #7 3 too low 5 
BackWPup – WordPress Backup & Restore Plugin 400K+ · 4.0★ (1323) not PHP-current
wp.org #4 1 too high 6 
Remove Footer Credit 60K+ · 4.7★ (88) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #3 3 too high 7 
Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) 3M+ · 4.9★ (8869)
wp.org #9 2 too low 8 
Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (397)
wp.org #8 9 
WP Fastest Cache – WordPress Cache Plugin 1M+ · 4.9★ (4228)
wp.org #11 2 too low 10 
Go Live Update Urls 90K+ · 4.5★ (59)
wp.org #6 4 too high 11 
All in One SEO – AI SEO Plugin to Boost SEO Rankings & Traffic (Schema, Local SEO, Sitemap & SEO Insights) 2M+ · 4.7★ (5231) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #12 1 too low 12 
Remove Category URL – Remove ‘category’ base from category permalinks 40K+ · 4.3★ (61)
wp.org #10 2 too high 13 
Freesoul Deactivate Plugins – Disable plugins on individual WordPress pages 8K+ · 4.8★ (104)
wp.org #15 2 too low 14 
Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) heavy footprint
wp.org #22 8 too low 15 
Speed Optimizer – The All-In-One Performance-Boosting Plugin 1M+ · 4.2★ (641)
wp.org #16 1 too low 16 
Remove Uppercase Accents 8K+ · 5.0★ (28)
wp.org #13 3 too high 17 
GiveWP – Donation Plugin and Fundraising Platform 100K+ · 4.6★ (708) throws errorsnot PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #17 18 
Independent Analytics – WordPress Analytics Plugin 100K+ · 4.8★ (167)
wp.org #24 6 too low 19 
Remove Dashboard Access 30K+ · 4.6★ (78)
wp.org #21 2 too low 20 Remove "Powered by WordPress" 20K+ · 4.4★ (21) thin reviews
wp.org #14 6 too high 21 
Download Plugins and Themes in ZIP from Dashboard 30K+ · 4.9★ (27)
wp.org #20 1 too high 22 
Block Plugin Update 5K+ · 4.4★ (19) thin reviews
wp.org #23 1 too low 23 
Content Update Scheduler 2K+ · 4.3★ (12) thin reviews
wp.org #19 4 too high 24 
Comment Link Remove and Other Comment Tools 8K+ · 4.1★ (15) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #18 6 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.