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

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 plugins folder”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 of the top 20. 1 plugin is 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 wp-admin login shows at wp.org #6 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 9K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.9★ average from 7 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

wpDataTables – WordPress Data Table, Dynamic Tables & Table Charts Plugin places #12 on merit, 4.5★ from 449 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 Folders – Unlimited Folders to Organize Media Library Folder, Pages, Posts, File Manager 90K+ · 5.0★ (1525) wp.org #2 1 too low 2 UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8706) wp.org #4 ↓1 2 too low 3 Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) 3M+ · 4.9★ (8869) wp.org #5 2 too low 4 Phoenix Media Rename 50K+ · 4.7★ (75) wp.org #3 ↑1 1 too high 5 FileBird – WordPress Media Library Folders & File Manager 200K+ · 4.7★ (1125) wp.org #8 ↑2 3 too low 6 Media File Renamer: Rename Images & Files for SEO (AI-Powered) 40K+ · 4.6★ (447) wp.org #9 ↓1 3 too low 7 Rename Plugins Folder 300+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #1 6 too high 8 Freesoul Deactivate Plugins – Disable plugins on individual WordPress pages 8K+ · 4.8★ (104) wp.org #7 ↓1 1 too high 9 Media Library Folders 10K+ · 4.3★ (465) wp.org #12 3 too low 10 Real Media Library: Media Library Folder & File Manager 100K+ · 4.8★ (297) wp.org #11 1 too low 11 Loginizer 1M+ · 4.8★ (1033) wp.org #13 ↑2 2 too low 12 wpDataTables – WordPress Data Table, Dynamic Tables & Table Charts Plugin 60K+ · 4.5★ (449) wp.org #20 8 too low 13 File Manager 1M+ · 4.6★ (1492) wp.org #19 6 too low 14 Download Plugins and Themes in ZIP from Dashboard 30K+ · 4.9★ (27) wp.org #10 ↓1 4 too high 15 File Manager Pro – Filester 100K+ · 4.9★ (155) wp.org #22 ↑2 7 too low 16 Media Library Organizer – Folders, File Manager & Media Categories 20K+ · 4.7★ (150) wp.org #17 1 too low 17 Rename Media Files: Improve Your SEO 8K+ · 4.8★ (40) wp.org #18 1 too low 18 Rename wp-admin login 9K+ · 3.9★ (7) wp.org #6 ↑1 12 too high 19 CatFolders – WordPress Media Library Folders & Categories 6K+ · 4.3★ (22) wp.org #16 3 too high 20 neo Rename – AI Media Renamer for renaming images & alt text with batch processing 200+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #14 ↓1 6 too high 21 Media Library Tools – AI-Powered Rename, Clean & CSV Import/Export 2K+ · 4.7★ (14) wp.org #21 22 Rename Taxonomies by WebMan 1K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #15 ↓1 7 too high 23 Royal WordPress Backup, Restore & Migration Plugin – Backup WordPress Sites Safely 30K+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #24 ↓2 1 too low 24 Media Rename — OrbitStem 30+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 1 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.