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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “rename”

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 “rename”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 16 of the top 20. 2 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

Rename Plugins Folder shows at wp.org #6 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 14 places. Its 300+ 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

Advanced Order Export For WooCommerce places #10 on merit, 5.0★ from 350 reviews, but shows at wp.org #20. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Phoenix Media Rename 50K+ · 4.7★ (75) wp.org #1 2 Media File Renamer: Rename for better SEO (AI-Powered) 40K+ · 4.6★ (447) wp.org #5 3 too low 3 Loginizer 1M+ · 4.8★ (1032) wp.org #4 1 too low 4 Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) 3M+ · 4.9★ (8865) wp.org #12 8 too low 5 WPS Hide Login 2M+ · 4.8★ (2111) wp.org #13 ↓1 8 too low 6 Rename Media Files: Improve Your SEO 9K+ · 4.8★ (40) wp.org #7 1 too low 7 Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1277) wp.org #16 9 too low 8 neo Rename – AI Media Renamer for renaming images & alt text with batch processing 200+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #3 5 too high 9 Rename wp-admin login 9K+ · 3.9★ (7) wp.org #2 7 too high 10 Advanced Order Export For WooCommerce 100K+ · 5.0★ (350) wp.org #20 ↓1 10 too low 11 Admin Menu Editor 300K+ · 4.6★ (312) wp.org #17 ↓2 6 too low 12 Email Templates Customizer and Designer for WordPress and WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.6★ (133) wp.org #15 ↓1 3 too low 13 File Manager 1M+ · 4.6★ (1489) wp.org #19 ↓1 6 too low 14 Alt Magic: AI Image Alt Text Generator for WP & Image Rename 2K+ · 5.0★ (19) wp.org #14 ↓1 15 Media Library Tools – AI-Powered Rename, Clean & CSV Import/Export 1K+ · 4.7★ (14) wp.org #11 ↓2 4 too high 16 FileOrganizer – WordPress File Manager 200K+ · 4.8★ (48) wp.org #21 ↓1 5 too low 17 Rename Taxonomies by WebMan 1K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #8 ↓1 9 too high 18 Easy Hide Login 20K+ · 4.4★ (43) wp.org #23 ↓1 5 too low 19 Extra Product Sorting Options for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.6★ (31) wp.org #24 ↓1 5 too low 20 Rename Plugins Folder 300+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #6 14 too high 21 Rename WP Media Files Name 500+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #10 ↓1 11 too high 22 SiteGuard WP Plugin 600K+ · 4.3★ (15) wp.org #9 ↓1 13 too high 23 File Media Renamer for SEO 200+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #22 ↓1 1 too high 24 Media Rename — OrbitStem 30+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #18 ↓1 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.