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

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 size”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 14 of the top 20. 4 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

WPC Product Size Chart for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #4 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 18 places. Its 2K+ 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

Smush – Image Optimization, Compression, Lazy Load, WebP & CDN places #9 on merit, 4.8★ from 6053 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.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Media Library File Size 6K+ · 4.6★ (5) wp.org #1 2 Perfect Images: Regenerate Thumbnails, Image Sizes, WebP & AVIF 60K+ · 4.8★ (279) wp.org #8 6 too low 3 WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance 1M+ · 4.8★ (2617) wp.org #9 6 too low 4 Simple Image Sizes 60K+ · 4.6★ (91) wp.org #6 2 too low 5 Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423) wp.org #11 6 too low 6 WP Fastest Cache – WordPress Cache Plugin 1M+ · 4.9★ (4228) wp.org #12 6 too low 7 Comment Link Remove and Other Comment Tools 8K+ · 4.1★ (15) wp.org #2 5 too high 8 Sizor Product Size Chart For WooCommerce 6K+ · 4.3★ (32) wp.org #3 5 too high 9 Smush – Image Optimization, Compression, Lazy Load, WebP & CDN 1M+ · 4.8★ (6053) wp.org #16 7 too low 10 Disable Media Sizes 10K+ · 5.0★ (23) wp.org #7 3 too high 11 Product Size Charts Plugin for WooCommerce 9K+ · 4.3★ (39) wp.org #5 6 too high 12 Converter for Media – Optimize images | Convert WebP & AVIF 500K+ · 4.9★ (1106) wp.org #19 7 too low 13 Modula Image Gallery – Photo Grid & Video Gallery 100K+ · 4.7★ (616) wp.org #21 8 too low 14 Speed Optimizer – The All-In-One Performance-Boosting Plugin 1M+ · 4.2★ (641) wp.org #14 15 All-in-One WP Migration and Backup 5M+ · 4.5★ (7676) wp.org #24 9 too low 16 Advanced Editor Tools 1M+ · 4.5★ (354) wp.org #17 1 too low 17 Kadence Blocks — Page Builder Toolkit for Gutenberg Editor 600K+ · 4.8★ (333) wp.org #18 1 too low 18 Image Watermark 40K+ · 4.2★ (298) wp.org #22 4 too low 19 Variation Swatches for WooCommerce 300K+ · 4.8★ (926) wp.org #20 1 too low 20 Enable Media Replace 600K+ · 4.4★ (302) wp.org #23 3 too low 21 Media Hygiene: Remove or Delete Unused Images and More! 4K+ · 4.2★ (41) wp.org #15 6 too high 22 WPC Product Size Chart for WooCommerce 2K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #4 18 too high 23 Better image sizes 2K+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #10 13 too high 24 SizeSync – Size Chart & Size Guide for WooCommerce 400+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #13 11 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.