wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “remove sample post”
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 sample post”, 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 Taxonomy URL shows at wp.org #3 but places #15 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 1K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.2★ average from 6 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
AI Engine – MCP Server & AI Chatbot for WordPress, with Claude, ChatGPT & Gemini places #10 on merit, 4.9★ from 874 reviews, but shows at wp.org #16. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Post Types Order 600K+ · 4.5★ (296)
wp.org #1 2 
Display Post Types – Post Grid, post list and post sliders 8K+ · 5.0★ (26)
wp.org #2 3 
WP RSS Aggregator – RSS Import, Feed to Post, Autoblogging, AI Content 40K+ · 4.5★ (565)
wp.org #6 3 too low 4 
WP-Sweep 100K+ · 4.7★ (138)
wp.org #5 1 too low 5 
Index WP MySQL For Speed 50K+ · 4.8★ (99)
wp.org #7 ↑1 2 too low 6 
MC4WP: Mailchimp for WordPress 1M+ · 4.8★ (1497)
wp.org #10 ↑1 4 too low 7 
WP Hide & Security Enhancer 50K+ · 4.3★ (275)
wp.org #9 ↑3 2 too low 8 C Custom Post Type Widgets 10K+ · 4.8★ (14) thin reviews
wp.org #4 4 too high 9 
Events Manager – Calendar, Bookings, Tickets, Appointments and more! 60K+ · 4.2★ (551)
wp.org #11 ↓2 2 too low 10 AI Engine – MCP Server & AI Chatbot for WordPress, with Claude, ChatGPT & Gemini 90K+ · 4.9★ (874)
wp.org #16 6 too low 11 
All in One SEO – AI SEO Plugin to Boost SEO Rankings & Traffic (Schema, Local SEO, Sitemap & SEO Insights) 2M+ · 4.7★ (5231)
wp.org #17 6 too low 12 
Seraphinite Post .DOCX Source 800+ · 4.6★ (45)
wp.org #8 ↓1 4 too high 13 R Really Simple CSV Importer 40K+ · 4.9★ (107)
wp.org #13 ↑1 14 
Permalink Manager Lite 100K+ · 4.8★ (176)
wp.org #15 ↓2 1 too low 15 Remove Taxonomy URL 1K+ · 4.2★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #3 12 too high 16 
Converter for Media – Optimize images | Convert WebP & AVIF 500K+ · 4.9★ (1106)
wp.org #23 7 too low 17 
AutomatorWP – No-Code Workflow Automation, Integration & Webhooks Plugin, now with AI 6K+ · 4.8★ (202)
wp.org #18 ↑1 1 too low 18 
Image Watermark 40K+ · 4.2★ (298)
wp.org #20 ↓2 2 too low 19 
Category Posts in Custom Menu 2K+ · 4.8★ (43)
wp.org #14 ↑2 5 too high 20 
Custom Layouts – Post + Product grids made easy 3K+ · 5.0★ (25)
wp.org #22 ↑1 2 too low 21 
Essential Real Estate 7K+ · 4.3★ (52)
wp.org #24 3 too low 22 
PowerPack for LearnDash 1K+ · 4.8★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #21 1 too high 23 
Easy Search Replace – Find & Replace Text/HTML/URLs, Remove Footer Credit 700+ · 4.5★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #12 ↑3 11 too high 24 
DesignSetGo 8K+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #19 ↑1 5 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.